Somewhere Over The Rainbow
by Shalan the Magnificent
Summary: AU Rukia is a young attorney with quite an impressive reputation Ichigo is a detective with a reputation of his own. With a homicide pinned on him and a murderer on his tail can she keep herself away from the hot blooded young detective? IchiRuki
1. The Criminal

**Title: **Somewhere Over the Rainbow

**Summary: **AU Rukia is a young attorney with quite an impressive reputation; Ichigo is a detective with a reputation of his own. With a homicide pinned on him and a murderer on his tail can she keep herself away from the hot blooded young convict? IchiRuki

**Shalan's Blah Blah: **YO! Another story today you say? I hope you guys like this one too! It came to me while I was tanning… read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach BTW…

**Glossary: **

**OCD:** Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

**Chapter: **The Criminal

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He was famous across the United States… they called him the Sherlock Holmes of Washington, the Dick Tracy of DC. He was on magazines and the TV, he had written two books, both of which were best sellers, he had solved over a hundred cases in the past two years alone… the police department of DC and the FBI called upon him to solve their cases for them. If only he hadn't been in the wrong place at the wrong time…

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She walked down the hallways towards her office, her devil may care red lips pursed together. Her black hair was curled stylishly away from her face, the Farrah Faucette look working well for her. Her hot-off-the-runway steel grey Prada suit paired with a pale azure silk blouse from Kate Spade matched with her steel grey Marc Jacob boots. The young woman tossed her jacket onto the coat rack as she walked into the law office.

"Good morning Miss Kuchiki… you have one new case in… it's a young man with a murder trial on his heels…" The secretary handed the young woman a file. Rukia looked at it as she sipped from her Starbucks cup. The lawyer walked into her large office and kicked the door shut behind her.

"Morning darling…" She heard from her desk. The lawyer looked up and saw her brother sitting at her desk, his hands folded neatly across his stomach, his feet on her desk. Her eyes bulged.

"FEET!" She pointed at his feet and in one motion also spilled coffee all over her blouse. He gasped and put them down as his sister rushed over and pulled out a hand wipe and began to wipe down the table. He rolled his eyes.

"How do you even live in a city like this like that?" He lifted an eyebrow and the lawyer looked over at him.

"Because… it's a good place to make a living… isn't it?" She lifted her eyebrow. "Didn't I tell you not to put your feet up on my desk?! I eat there you know!" She slapped his leg. He frowned. She was such a prude… and so OCD.

"Alright, so how have you been doing?" The black haired young man looked over as his younger sister panicked about having coffee on her shirt.

"I've been alright…" She replied as she scrubbed her shirt down. Byakuya grinned as she fussed.

"Calm down Rukia… you can just buy a new one if you need to…" He sighed and stood up. "Anyways business has me in town for a while so I was thinking that maybe we could go out to dinner…" Byakuya asked.

"Set up a date with my secretary…"

"But I don't want to date your _secretary_."

"Byakuya!" He laughed at her.

"Sorry darling… I will see you later then… call me," with that he kissed her on the cheek and took his leave. The attorney sat down in her comfy leather chair and continued to scrub her shirt off.

"_Miss Kuchiki you have a call on line 2_." He heard her secretary's voice over the intercom.

"Thank you Sarah… please connect them," she picked up the phone, pressing the button for line two. "This is Kuchiki… go."

"You're a _woman_?" She heard a surprised voice on the other end of the line. "Oh… well… anyways… can you tell your boss that I need to speak with him? My card is on his desk. Thanks babe…" The caller hung up and she frowned over at the card.

"Thanks _babe_?" She frowned and picked it up. "Detective Ichigo Kurosaki huh?" She reached over and pressed a button on her phone. "Sarah… get me Detective Kurosaki's address would you?" She stood up and walked out of the office.

&&&

Ichigo sat on his butt, on the coffee colored leather couch in front of the television, drinking a scotch. He swirled the ice around in the glass and his eyes diverted themselves from the television only to look at another more depressing object, the small box around his ankle that prevented him from leaving his house.

There was a knock at his door and he looked over. "It's OPEN!" He called and the door opened to expose a pretty woman in a silk blouse and a pair of steel gray pants. The blouse was buttoned all the way up to the neck and he raised an eyebrow.

"Detective Kurosaki… how rude of y…" She froze as she looked around the dimly lit apartment. Dust specks floated in the air and at least three day old pizza sat on the countertop. She felt her eye twitch.

"Sorry about that… haven't really been able to take my trash out…" He said sarcastically then turned to look at the TV again.

"Don't ignore me after you called me babe over the damn phone!" She nearly shouted at him. He turned back around only to see her walking towards him with a handkerchief over her mouth and nose.

"I can call you babe if I want to... anyways… who are you?" Ichigo blinked over at her.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki… your attorney," the woman folded her arms and Ichigo looked back over at her.

"You're my attorney… I thought I asked for the best… not the most feminine…" he raised an eyebrow and she felt her anger tick upwards.

"What the hell is wrong with you? It's a wonder that you even became a detective with your people skills!" She glared at him.

"Get me out of house arrest and maybe I'll consider making you my permanent lawyer," he said, still watching the television.

"No wonder no other lawyer would even talk to you! You're a… a… meanie!" Ichigo laughed and turned around.

"Awe… now what… are we in kindergarten?" He let his eyes fall down her body from her pretty face. The blouse which was buttoned all the way was also rather loose, not allowing him a good look at her figure and the pants were also rather baggy and he frowned. She was a complete prude. His eyes picked up the coffee stain on her breast and the dirt at the bottom of her pant legs. "So… did you spill your coffee _before_ or _after_ you stepped in the mud puddle?" He raised his eyes up to her.

"I'm leaving," she turned on her heel.

"Wait!" She heard his voice and she stopped. "I need to get off house arrest…" He stood up for the first time and she nearly stared. He was tall, just above average height with muscular arms. He wore a wife beater and a pair of black trousers.

"And… why do you need me to do that?" She frowned from behind her handkerchief.

"Because… I have to solve this murder…" his eyes bored into hers and she found that he had extremely beautiful eyes, brilliant amber irises surrounded by a ring of black.

"Murder? Oh you mean the murder that _you_ committed?" She peaked an eyebrow. Ichigo stared her down.

"I didn't kill anyone…" He stated plainly. "Why can't anyone understand that? I haven't done anything!" She backed away as he nearly threw a conniption.

"Fine! FINE! I'll help you…" She shook her head, wondering why she was.

"Good! Thank you!" He grinned cheerily. "I…" He heard it, his sensitive ears caught the sound of a gun being cocked. "GET DOWN!" The detective twisted and pushed Rukia to the ground as a round of gun fire came in through the window. She gasped as blood gushed from two wounds, one in his arm and the other had grazed his ribcage.

"What the HELL?" She cursed for the first time in a long time.

&&&

Just outside the emergency room Rukia explained what had happened in the apartment, including the disgusting feel of his filthy floor. She walked into the hospital afterwards to see about Ichigo.

"Don't die before you pay me Kurosaki," she told him and he nodded with a sarcastic grin on his face.

"Yeah… thanks for all your _concern_ Miss Kuchiki," he barely flinched as the doctor pulled out the bullet; he laughed slightly as Rukia gagged. She had already thrown up in his toilet twice while he was walking out the door to get the police there. He had laughed at her then as well.

"You're fairly tough…" she observed as he rolled his eyes at her.

"I was in the military for four years," he replied softly and her icy façade cooled a little, it must have been a difficult four years.

"So what…" She toughened herself back up, "I lived on the streets of New York City for fourteen years of my life… and look where I am…" she folded her arms.

"You have no clue do you?" Ichigo looked over at her and she felt her anger flare again. He was insulting her once again.

"You'll be safe in jail. No one can shoot you there…" She folded her arms.

"I'll go to jail for a few days but I'm not going to stay there… do you understand me?"

"I got you out of house arrest didn't I?" She smirked and he threw her a dirty look as the doctor bandaged his arm. It was then that she noticed his upper body; beautifully carved with a complete set of iron pectorals and abdominals, the etched V in his hips only completing the godlike physical appearance of the detective before her.

"See something you like Kuchiki?" He grinned from the bed. He nodded as the doctor spoke to him telling him not to strain his arm muscles too much.

"No… I was just thinking that you should be more careful Kurosaki," she covered her blush quickly.

"I'll try," he flinched again as the doctor gently scrubbed his side with alcohol.

"Good… don't die before you pay me," she told him.

"Is that your motto? Kuchiki Attorney at Law "_Don't Die Before You Pay Us_?" Ichigo joked then he knew it was the wrong one because the woman who had once been standing in front of him stormed out of the room.

"She's cute…" the inter told Ichigo.

"Yeah… but she's got one _hell_ of a temper…" Ichigo frowned and the intern laughed.

&&&

Rukia sat across from her brother at dinner that night in a shapeless turtle neck black dress, a necklace of pearls placed over the collar. Byakuya smiled at her a little. He had heard about her brush with death earlier in the day and he wanted to hear about it.

"So how was death? Was he nice?" Byakuya chuckled.

"Not joking Byakuya… it was terrifying…" She shuddered. "I saw my life flash before my eyes…" He saw goose flesh jump up on her skin and he looked down. He knew what was bothering her.

"Let's not bring it up alright?" Byakuya reached over and placed a hand on hers. Rukia nodded, tears almost breaching her face but they disappeared quickly. She hadn't cried since that day.

"Sorry brother…" she looked down and he smiled lightly. "Just… I don't know… It took me back to New York…" She frowned.

"Yeah… I know…" Byakuya squeezed her hand tightly and she bowed her head.

&&&

Ichigo sighed again, looking out the barred window to his cell; the orange jumpsuit he had been forced into was unbuttoned, exposing his bandaged chest to the moon light. "I guess she wasn't so bad…" He thought back to her physique. "She must have had a run in with a man in the past…"

He had noticed the fidgety way she held her hands and she tapped a foot uncomfortably. Her body was curved away from him, one foot behind her as if she would run at any second. She kept her eyes lowered from his at almost all times except for that one time. He sighed lightly.

"I could write a freakin' book about women and their body language couldn't I?" He spoke to no one in particular.

'_Yes… yes I could…'_ He thought and relaxed a little, which was hard to do with a hard metal spring grinding into one's back. Ichigo sighed deeply and took in a deep breath then coughed… what the hell? Blood? He stood up and looked around. The scent of blood was powerful and nearby.

"HOLY SHIT! GUARDS! GUARDS!" Ichigo called, staring at the cell across from him. "GUARDS!" The guards came running. "HIM!" He pointed and they looked over.

One of them ran off to get help and the other stayed there. "Did you see what happened?" The guard asked him. Ichigo shrugged. "And could I get your autograph?" Ichigo blinked and smiled.

"Yeah… sure…" Ichigo reached out of the bars and signed the piece of paper that was offered to him.

"You are like my idol! I have always wanted to meet you! I mean… not under these circumstances but… you know…" the young man looked away sheepishly and Ichigo laughed.

"Don't worry about it… I understand… I once met my idol and do you know what I did?" Ichigo asked him.

"I'm afraid I don't sir."

"I hugged him," Ichigo laughed and the young man laughed with him.

"Stop talking with the prisoners and help me…" Another guard to him and the young guard walked away. Ichigo watched with interest as the men carried the other inmate away.

"Come with me…" another detective pulled Ichigo out of the cell and he blinked as he was taken from within the cell to the interrogation room. He sighed impatiently, folding his arms.

"Ichigo Kurosaki?" He heard a voice enter the room. It was a usual scare tactic that most detectives employed to make their subjects nervous… he knew this… so he wondered why they were employing it.

"I didn't do it." He said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"We know you didn't do that one…" The other detective replied. "I just want to know what you know about it…"

"C'mon Hitsugaya… I just freakin' smelt him… it smelled like seeping blood so I called the guards…"

"You know… they say that only those who have experienced blood…"

"Spare me the psyche bull shit Hitsugaya… I know what you're getting at and you know why I know the smell of blood…" The carrot-top shot Toshiro a pointed look and the white haired young man rolled his eyes. "Anyways… I don't know anything…"

"You the fucking divine brain! You know everything there is to know about the freakin' crime scene before the forensics even come back!" Toshiro pointed at him.

"Yeah… so…" Ichigo looked away from him.

"What is the connection between the murder you've been blamed for and the other three murders earlier in the day?" Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed.

"Well I'll tell you…" Ichigo leaned forward…

"Good…" Toshiro leaned forward and the two's forehead touched lightly. "Now tell me so I can send you away."

"I… don't know!" Ichigo sat back with a laugh. Toshiro threw his hands up in the air.

"Either your sleuthing skills are getting rusty or you're bull shittin' me…" Toshiro folded his arms. "Either way… you have to stay somewhere else other than at your apartment… do you have someone you can stay with that _won't_ throw you out on the street?"

"Yeah…" Ichigo grinned devilishly. "Yeah I do… 

&&&

Am I cool or what?

Shalan


	2. The Arrangement

**Chapter: **The Arrangement

**Shalan's HooHa: **Yeah… so this story has completely made me fall in love with it… teehee… and guess who he's gonna call huh? XDDD

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The haunting tones of "The Godfather" main theme could be heard from a cell phone on her bedside table. Her hand hit the table hard and she cursed lightly. "Kuchiki speaking."

"Kuchiki!" She heard a voice that she shouldn't be hearing from the other end of the line.

"Kurosaki," she twirled a finger in the air unenthusiastically.

"Think you can come down to the precinct?" He grinned into the phone and she sighed.

"Kurosaki… do you know what time it is?"

"Do you want me to live to pay you? Then get in your fancy ass car and drive down to the fucking precinct…" She frowned and stood up.

"Fine… I'll be there in 15 minutes," she hung up the Blackjack and walked across her flat. She sighed again as she pulled off her pajamas and chemise, pulling on her blouse for the next day and the gaucho pants. She slipped her feet into the black boots that covered her feet and left her hair back in the braid that she slept with it in.

&&&

"She'll be here in fifteen minutes," Ichigo hung up the phone and folded his arms with a grin on his face.

"Who is she? What are you paying her? To be your girlfriend?" Toshiro blinked at him. Ichigo laughed slowly and Toshiro shook his head.

"No… as a matter of fact… she's my lawyer," Ichigo looked over as the door opened and a grumpy Rukia walked in, her black hair pulled back in a braid. "Hey!" He cheered and she stared at him with wide eyes. She knew now what was going on.

"No!" She turned on her heel and walked out. Ichigo followed her with a wink at Toshiro who rolled his eyes.

"Kuchiki!" He grabbed her arm and she swung around, wild eyed and jerked away from him, falling back onto the ground. He blinked as she scooted away from him. "Rukia?" His brows furrowed in curiosity as he reached out to her. She scrambled away from him and her hands shook as she tried to get into her car. "Calm down!" He grabbed her by the upper arm gently.

"St-stay away from me! St-sta…" She suddenly felt a hand on the side of her face and she snapped back into reality. "Kurosaki… what the hell! Get away from me!" She pushed him off and he blinked hard. Had she just been having some kind of flashback?

"You came so you could help me right?" He grinned hopefully. "Please… I'm not safe in my apartment… you have to help me…" His amber eyes met her azure ones and she gulped slightly. This wasn't worth the money she was being paid.

&&&

Ichigo looked around the almost painstakingly neat house with interest. Her house was very different from her outside appearance. He had always believed that you could tell one's personality by looking at their living space, particularly their bedroom. He reached out to touch one of the expensive crystal statues, a statue of a beautiful swan.

"Don't touch anything!" She snapped and he drew his hand back.

"I thought you said you were from the streets of New York City right? So how did you end up a lawyer in Washington DC?" Ichigo looked around. The apartment was beautiful, huge glass windows covered an entire wall of the living room, beautiful cream colored drapes hid them from sight however. The deep cream of the couch was paired with the coffee colored loveseat and arm chair. A large flat screen was hung in the corner of the room and he blinked when she did finally answer.

"I am." But she sounded sad, almost depressed. His eyes scanned the room, a professional CSI agent would never be able to draw a finger print off of any of the surroundings in the house… everything was sparkling clean. Her kitchen was stainless steel with chocolate vanilla swirled marble countertops. He smiled a little as she led him down the hallway. There was a bathroom to his left and to his right a bedroom door stood open a crack. He peeked in at the messy bed. This was obviously her bedroom. "Here is your room… please don't mess anything up…" She motioned to a beautiful room to her right. It was a well furnished room with a large wooden desk and dresser, the canopied wooden frame of the bed had a beautiful cream colored canopy to it. The bed cover was made of down and was a deep chocolate color, the soft dark cream sheets contrasted nicely.

"Thank you for putting me up…" He looked around as he set his two suitcases down on the ground next to the bed.

"What's in the other bag?" She nodded towards it and he blinked.

"My computer and clothes of course…" He answered with a smile. She shrugged.

"Whatever… just don't break anything and we'll get along fine," she turned and walked out of the room. Ichigo laughed softly.

"And don't touch anything or go to the bathroom or think or breathe or move…" he said sarcastically. There was no way through to this girl otherwise… "I guess I'm going to have to do a little sleuthing on her…" He smiled a little.

&&&

"Hey… Hitsugaya… think you could do me a favor?" He asked as he sat on the comfortable bed. It was 8 AM on Sunday morning… day three of his staying with Rukia. On his lap was his computer and in his mouth was a pen.

"Depends… what the hell do you want on a Sunday morning?" Toshiro grumbled from the other line.

"Well snowball… I was hoping that you could do me a huge favor…" Ichigo grinned and Toshiro grumbled something about him being a son of a bitch.

"What is it? And does it involve the murders?"

"No… it involves my lawyer… get me any information you can and email it to me…" He grinned and Toshiro hung up. "I am so good…"

"Time to… oh you're already awake…" She stared at him. He sat on his bed in his boxers, his black computer on his lap.

"Yep!" He grinned from the bed and she stared at him. "Uh…" He blinked and watched her turn around quickly and walk off. "Hmm…" _'She's afraid of men… I wonder… maybe… rape? Nooo…'_ He thought harder. _'But it would make sense… maybe we should conduct a little experiment…'_ He stood up and set his computer on his bed, sauntering out into the hallway he turned his head, swiveling to see where she was. The pretty black haired woman stood in the kitchen wearing a pair of high waist jeans and a loose grey sweatshirt. "Good morning Kuchiki…" he walked over to the bar and sat down, leaning on the countertop. Her eyes flitted up to look at him then looked away modestly. He got the feeling that she didn't like him being shirtless but she was too timid to tell him that.

"Kurosaki… is there anything I can get you?" She said in barely a whisper. She felt her throat close off as it happened again. His reply echoed in her ears as she was suddenly back in that room. Her eyes rolled back into her head and her body seized. Ichigo launched himself over the counter and grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"Kuchiki? Kuchiki… RUKIA!"

&&&

OMG! WHAT HAPPENED? XDDDD

Shalan


	3. The Desperado

**Chapter: **The Desperado

**Shalan's Tee Hee:** How is everyone? Torn up about what happened last chapter? XDDD Mean aren't I? Read and review por favor!

**Glossary: **

**PTSD:** Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain severe psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful events that the person experiences as highly traumatic. "Triggers" are sometimes associated with this disorder and are usually situations or items that bring the person back to the place and time from the experience. They can sometimes be entirely unrelated.

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When she awoke she found herself in her employer's lap. He held her head upwards and her feet her propped up on the armrest of her couch. Ichigo was looking down at her with a worried look on his face. She blinked for a second.

"Sorry… I shouldn't have tested you like that…" PTSD… that had come to be his conclusion… and it must be chronic because he figured that if her trauma had occurred earlier she wouldn't be allowed back at work.

"Y-You did that… were you the trigger?" Her wide eyes searched his and he looked down at her. His deep amber eyes captured her, bringing her in. He smiled softly.

"I'm sorry about that…" He bowed his head. He didn't want to kill his lawyer.

"It's alright… I never really know when it's going to happen…" He ducked his head down in apology.

"So what is it that you remembered?" He asked as she sat up and moved away from him.

"How did you know how to deal with my seizure?" She looked over at him and he smiled.

"My father's a doctor… I learned a lot from him…" Ichigo smiled again and Rukia looked away, simply turning her eyes to look at him out of the corner of her eye. His defined jaw line was rough with a shadow of unshaved hair. His amber eyes were fixed on something on the other side of the room.

"So… I always wondered something… how you know all that about a crime scene." She wondered out loud.

"Because I pay attention to even the tiniest details…" He sighed softly. "And I know a lot about human body language… I could teach you if you want… it may help in your profession…" He smiled at her and she looked away. He got the feeling that she didn't want him to be around her anymore. He stood up and walked out of the room and shut his bedroom door behind himself.

&&&

September in Washington was always fun… he loved to walk through the streets and watch the leaves fall, however this time he had dragged his keeper along with him. Four days since her first encounter with him. He laughed as he guided her along the twisting paths of Lincoln Park. She had slowly relaxed in his company and was now comfortable enough to at least walk beside him… a big step for her.

"So anyways… I was talking to this guy and he suddenly puts his arm around my shoulders and kisses me!" He laughed, bending back slightly. She chuckled softly into her leather glove. Her cream colored pea-coat hung to her knees and the black gauchos she wore went well beneath the tailored jacket. Her black gloves were nice and seemed to keep her hands warm enough.

"Are you serious?" She laughed softly. He enjoyed her laughter, it reminded him of his mother's laughter.

"Yes! I'm not kidding honestly!" He hooted and noticed the other people walking towards them, he gently placed an arm around her waist and shifted her to the side with him as they let the other two pass. She slapped his hand hard and he laughed at her, removing his arm from around her waist. He still hadn't found out what it was about men that bothered her, at least… not the full story.

"That's crazy…" She looked off into the distance. He had come to notice that she was almost always in a different world form everyone else… she was suspicious, always looking for a way out just incase there was an emergency. She was also a prude, since he had come to live with him the most skin he had ever seen of her was her face and her arms. She kept everything else covered.

"Yeah! I pushed him away and I was like 'What the hell are you doing?' and the guy answers 'Oh I just thought you were attractive' Can you believe that?" He laughed again.

He knew it was rape… it had to be… he had searched the files Toshiro had sent him and found out that she had reported the rape and abuse but the police had done nothing about it. After that she had worked as hard as she could to get to Harvard where she went to law school and got her degree in law.

"I think that's hilarious!" She had apparently passed through her first three years in college in high school, graduating with a 4.6, one of the highest GPAs ever from that area. She had entered grad school when she was 19 and exited when she was 22. At 25, only three years into her career she was well known around the city and wanted across the country for her expertise in law.

"Yeah… so…" He looked slightly uncomfortable for a second. She apparently only fought for the things she believed in, instead of just wanting to get paid and was known to take cases for free or an extremely reduced price. Ichigo found her to be a saint.

"So… do you know anything about the murder's yet?" She looked over at him and he shrugged. "Is that a no or a yes?"

"It's an: I can't tell you…" He replied and looked over at her. She was rather beautiful, her creamy skin was tinted with pink, her nose and cheeks were stained with raspberry kisses of red from the cold September air and he thought it was rather cute. Her red lips, creamy skin and black hair gave her a Snow White look. He watched the streaks of brown and red whisper through her hair as it blew back in the wind. He smiled again… she was good company.

&&&

When they finally arrived back at her apartment they were both laughing their heads off. She pulled off her jacket and hung it on the rack with a grin and he did the same, his hand brushing hers for only a second. She felt her face flush brilliantly and he smiled lightly.

"You're cute… you know that?" He told her for the first time. She turned brighter red and stormed out of the room. He loved making her blush like that… he walked over to the answering machine and pressed the play button.

"Ichigo! Hey man! I have a job for you! Think you could bring you attachment down to the station with you? I've got a case for her too…" Toshiro's voice spoke over the machine and it clicked off.

"Attachment?" She lifted an eyebrow. Ichigo shrugged.

"You wanna come see how a real police force is run?" He grinned and she folded her arms uncomfortably and his look softened.

"I guess you already know… what the police did to me in New York…" He tilted his head to the side. "I mean… you seem to know everything… so I'm thinking that you know that the police ignored my case…"

"There must have been a good reason…" Ichigo shrugged.

"NO! NO THERE WASN'T!" She screamed and for the first time he saw fury in her eyes. "THERE WAS NO FUCKING REASON FOR THEM TO IGNORE ME!"

"Calm down… I didn't know…" He reached out to touch her and she shrunk away from him. He didn't know why he kept trying… but something told him he had been sent her to help her.

&&&

"So Hitsugaya… what you got for me?" Ichigo sauntered into the police department and the snowball looked up from his work with a grumpy look on his face as Ichigo pulled out a toothpick and stuck it in his mouth.

"I have a case that I want you to look at," Toshiro stood up and nodded his head to Rukia. "I have a woman who wants you to help her… the two of you are on high demand today…" He walked off. Ichigo rolled his eyes and followed him. "You're the king of interrogation… go interrogate…" Toshiro pointed at the interrogation room.

"What am I interrogating?" He questioned with a goofy look as he opened the portfolio that was handed to him.

"A man who says he has information on the real killer… we found him after a call came in from the woman in the other room… she's requested a lawyer and we knew you had one on hand…" Toshiro grinned and Ichigo smiled over at Rukia who rolled her eyes.

"I know where to go… do you stuff Kurosaki…" She disappeared into the room where the woman was.

"She really is beautiful…" They both heard a voice out from behind them.

"Ishida!" Ichigo grinned. The other detective stood behind them in his signature tailored suit. The steely blue of the suit stood against the brilliant cerulean of his eyes. His steel blue tie was loosened and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. The black haired young man could never be caught without a cigarette behind his ear, whether he was smoking it or not. "Thought you'd quit!" Ichigo laughed.

"Yeah… I have… but it's good luck… I've never gotten shot with it behind my ear…"

"He gets a new pack everyday and takes a cigarette out and puts it behind his ear, the rest he gives out to the other detectives." Toshiro laughed. They both knew what a depressing habit their friend had picked up but had finally given up.

"So who talked you into it?" Ichigo grinned.

"I did," a soft female voice could be heard from behind Uryu and Ichigo lifted an eyebrow. A beautiful woman with long red hair stood behind Uryu in a pink silk blouse and a white skirt. Her white heels extended her legs out and showed the carved muscles in her legs. Ichigo bit on his toothpick thoughtfully as his eyes made their way up from her long legs to her wide hips and small waist, the white tailored vest made him blink as it was slightly straining on a pair of breasts that he found rather magnificent.

"Keep your eyes off my wife Kurosaki," Uryu snapped his fingers.

"You got married Ishida?" Ichigo hooted, "That's a laugh! How in the hell did you get a woman like that to marry you?"

"He's a very persuasive speaker…" Kazumi smiled, her red lips parting to show straight white teeth.

"Is she real?" Ichigo lifted an eyebrow.

"No she's fake Kurosaki… I just borrowed her from the local Macy's because I like plastic…" Uryu rolled his eyes and a hand brushed his back.

"Be quiet." She commanded and he shut his mouth. "Seriously… we met two years ago because he dumped coffee on me…" She laughed.

"That was an accident…" He looked off to the side with a grin on his face.

"Oh! So you're Hasegawa… I always wanted to meet you… he used to blabber about you all the time… I never knew you were actually a knock-out!" Ichigo chuckled.

"Thank you Detective…" She smiled and Uryu growled. She liked compliments too much. "No need to worry Uryu… I like your eyes better than his…" She chuckled and he nodded.

"I don't want her anyways… she's too good looking for me! I'd go mad worrying about men being all over her!" Ichigo threw up his hands.

"That's not true… you've got a pretty one living with you right now…" Uryu nodded his head towards the door where Rukia was.

"Yeah… I suppose you've got a point there… but she's terrified of me…" Ichigo turned to the interrogation room. "Guess I better get this over with…"

"Ichigo…" He turned his head towards the raven-haired man. "If you're careful… this one may not spook…" Ichigo frowned and walked into the interrogation room.

&&&

"So… your name is Jacob Finnegan right?" Ichigo asked as he sauntered into the room good naturedly. The young man was trembling lightly, his hands in his lap fidgeted together, twisting around each other. Ichigo's eyes picked up the smattering of blood on his shirt and the dirt that hemmed his torn jeans. A coffee stain was also thrown across the man's wife beater which seemed to be fairly fresh, leading Ichigo to believe that it had been him, instead of this woman who had been scared. "So when did she attack you?" He set the portfolio down.

&&&

On the other side of the two way mirror Rukia stood with her arms folded across her chest. She watched the carrot-top talk to the now slightly relaxed man. She let a smile cross her lips then she stopped, why was she happy about this? He was a man… men were good for nothing idiots who didn't know shit from apple butter… "Excuse me…" The woman next to her spoke.

"Oh… sorry…" Rukia turned around and suddenly a gun was pointed in her face. _'Again? Twice in three days? SHIT! This guy is some kind of curse!'_ "What are you doing?" She had known the woman had a gun, she had looked for the signs that Ichigo had taught her.

_"Now watch… if I have a gun and I'm planning on using it I would keep my hands somewhere near it if I wasn't really experienced with it…" Ichigo moved his hand closer to the gun at his belt._

_"So what you're saying is that they're going to give themselves away before they even shoot?" She lifted an eyebrow. He had taken her out to the firing range for a lesson in shooting guns and he had noticed how nervous she had been while holding the weapon._

_"Yeah… basically, you can also look for their body signs… a person who is experienced with weaponry is going to keep their hand at a slight angle at all times, as if ready to grab the weapon, they also tend to be rather shady so their eyes will constantly look for a way out once they do shoot…" Ichigo's hand whipped into the air dramatically._

_"Okay… so… is that they way they say you never get shot?" She snorted as he had been shot only a few days earlier._

_"Yeah… for the most part… if you pay attention you can disarm a potentially fatal situation," he laughed._

"Look miss… I really don't think you want to do this…" Rukia lifted her hands into the air. "Because see… this whole place is filled with cops… and…" The gun went off and the glass behind Rukia shattered as she ducked. The woman turned to run but a single gunshot was fired and she fell. Rukia slowly turned and there behind her was Ichigo, his gun in his right hand pointing straight ahead, the barrel was smoking slightly and there was a deadly look in his eyes. It was a look she had never seen before.

"…you have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law…" as she heard the Miranda Rights recited Rukia dropped to her knees. A hand rested itself on her shoulder then pulled her up by it.

"Come here… they have a doctor on call… he can fix up those glass cuts…" Ichigo's eyes were fixated on the woman. She was standing now, her thigh bleeding furiously. Her gaze was at Ichigo and the tooth pick snapped.

&&&

"This is ridiculous! You are a CURSE!" She shouted as she walked into her house. "TWICE IN FOUR DAYS KUROSAKI!?" She stormed over and threw her jacket on the coat rack.

"Good you can count," he said unenthusiastically. She paused and looked over at him. The young man had a grim look on his face as he stared at her from the door. It was shut behind him and she blinked… wondering what he was thinking about.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You haven't had two near death experiences in four days!" She fumed. Ichigo shook his head.

"You still have no idea do you…" he turned and walked off. She stared after him, what was it that was eating this guy?

&&&

MEE!! HAHAHAHAHA! Anyways I hope you guys like that chapter… I wonder what it was that the woman wanted… or maybe… was she in cahoots with the other man? AND WHY IS EVERYONE TRYING TO SHOOT RUKIA?

XD

Tune in next time XDD

Shalan


	4. The War

**Chapter: **The War

**Shalan's Doodoo: **XDD I'm getting more creative every day no? And I've had a request to post another chapter so I've been working on this since I got that review… I'm thinking it'll take me a few more hours to get another chapter out so I apologize about that!

&&&

Rukia sat cross legged on her bed. Two days after the second time she was held at gunpoint… and here she was again. _'How did this all happen? Oh right…' _She looked over out the window. _'Kurosaki… you better come get me outta this mess…' _she frowned.

_"So… you gonna tell me what's wrong?" She had asked him earlier that day. Ichigo looked over at her. She stood before him in her pajamas, the conservative button down pajamas, the modest black chemise beneath it hid the rest of her skin from him… it frustrated him really but there was nothing he could do about it._

_"Me? What do you mean?" He blinked over at her and she folded her arms. Ichigo sat before her in his black silk boxers and a white t-shirt he looked like a Hanes commercial she thought._

_"I mean…" She didn't know… all she knew was that he was avoiding talking about his past._

_"Have you ever killed someone before?" He asked as he looked out the window. She blinked._

_"No! Of course not…" She sounded shocked that he would ask such a question._

_"I have… and I didn't like it… but I did it for a living for four years," he said softly, turning his head towards her. "I told myself that I would never kill again, and I haven't ever… until two days ago I hadn't even fired a gun." She had noticed that he carried a gun with him at all times, although she had never seen him use it other than that day. Then she noticed something else that sent her mind reeling. _

_"NO! NO YOU CAN'T SMOKE IN HERE!" She took his cigarette from him and threw it out the window. Ichigo stood up._

_"WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO?" He shouted back at her. "IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO? CAN I BREATHE? CAN I SHOWER? CAN I EAT? WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM! LOOSEN UP!" He finally let out the things that that been bothering him about her for a while now. _

_She stared at him, he had yelled at her… not something the usually composed young man had done yet. "I…" She turned tail and fled from the room. He reached out to her, realizing that he had scared her yet again… but she was gone before he could grab her._

_"Sorry…" She heard him whisper from inside the room_.

&&&

Ichigo sat at a table in the police meeting with a cigarette in his fingers. He usually didn't smoke but he needed something to smooth his frayed nerves. He flicked the butt into the tray and leaned back. He needed to get back to the apartment soon, he had left her there along this morning and he was starting to worry… he didn't know why he was worrying but for some reason the girl needed someone to worry about her… and he supposed he was the best one for the job… because he never worried about anything.

"So… Kurosaki what do you have for us on the King of Hearts murders?" King of Hearts was unfortunately the nickname for their current murderer. He seemed to be rather professional and he always tore out his prey's hearts… while they were still alive. Ichigo shuddered lightly then looked over at the chief.

"Me? I'd have to have another look at the scenes… untouched of course…" He looked around at them all then frowned… "Don't tell me you've cleaned it up already!" He fumed.

"Well… we had to… several residents in the most recent scene wanted to go home…" Ichigo stood up and slammed his hand down on the table.

"HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ANYTHING WHEN YOU PEOPLE CONSISTANTLY SCREW THINGS UP?" He stormed and Uryu put a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down Ichigo…" He pushed him back down. Ichigo tented his fingers and leaned forward, thinking back to what had transpired earlier that day.

_"I'm sorry for yelling at you…" He walked into the bedroom and she stood before him all legs and pink flesh. He froze and she swung around so her back was to him. "JESUS! CAN'T YOU KEEP YOUR DAMN DOOR SHUT?" He turned his back. _

_"KUROSAKI! I keep telling you to knock…" She spluttered, he could tell that this had made her uncomfortable and he let a small smile cross his lips. She had quite a figure despite her rather shapeless clothes. He had heard her breathing quicken when he had stared at her and he got the feeling that somehow he had managed to make her heart stop. He chuckled softly. _

_She really was a sight to see. Her long calves were muscular and taut, connected to a pair of creamy thighs. Between these thighs was nestled a small patch of black hair which didn't surprise him… she didn't seem like the type who would wax it off. Her rounded hips were set to either side of a slightly caved in navel which curved up into her toned tummy. Her dipped waist curved up into her chest and a pair of breasts he hadn't known that she had stood like twin pitcher's mounds of flesh. Her coral nipples had been coral in color and fully erect from the cold interior of the house. Her protruding collarbone stood out as the perfect T to her body. Her long swan-like neck was creamy, the same as the rest of her body and beautiful._

"_Are you done yet?" He turned his head to look over his shoulder. She stood before him in her long black pants and an indigo blouse, her arms folded across her chest._

"_Yes… now what do you want?" She stared at him. He was standing in front of her in a pair of jeans and his white t-shirt, his muscular arms were also folded across his chest, making his upper arms bulge slightly._

"_I was apologizing for earlier… shooting off that gun brought back memories…" He looked off to the side and he saw her step towards him._

"_What's been bothering you Kurosaki?" She looked up at him and he averted his eyes._

"_War… war bothers me… anyways… I…" His cell phone rang from his back pocket. The detective pulled out his gold RAZR V3xx that his agent had bought him in celebration of his second best seller. He had always thought it was a bit much but it had worn on him. "Kurosaki." He nodded a slightly then hung up the phone. "We'll have to continue this later… I have a conference to go to…" He tilted his head and smiled at her. She followed him to the door and watched him put his coat on._

"_Uhm… be careful…" She said. She didn't know why she said it, like she was a wife worried about her husband but it made her smile slightly._

"_Alright… no need to worry… I'm just going down to the station for a little while… keep the doors locked and don't walk near the windows…" He grinned and walked out, shutting the door behind him. _

"You may go Kurosaki…" he heard a voice interrupt his thoughts and he looked over, a pencil stuck between his nose and hit upper lip. He let it fall and stood up.

"Alright, thanks…" he smiled and practically ran out.

&&&

Rukia sat on her bed, looking for a way out, the man that stood before her smiled vilely. "Now you listen to me missy… there's a sniper on the building next to this… ready to shoot your buddy if he comes anywhere this building… just thought I should let you know that…" He grinned, he was an ugly looking man with long greasy black hair and a filthy t-shirt and jeans on.

"Listen… do you think that you could… get off my carpet?" She pointed at his dirty shoes. She was amazingly calm, more like subdued, the look on her face come completely blank, no emotion could be read. Inside she had no feelings, no nothing… 'Ichigo… please come save me…'

"Maybe… perhaps I could come over onto that bed with you?" He smiled and move towards her, suddenly the door slammed open and Ichigo, gun in hand stood in the doorway, his barrel directed at the man.

"You try it and you won't hear the man count 5," he had that bloodthirsty look in his eye again.

"How'd you get past the…"

"Sniper? I saw him before he saw me… the cops should hauling him off right now…" Ichigo walked forward slowly. "Now put the gun down and you won't have to get hurt." Ichigo had found himself rather grumpy, this was the second time in three days that he had been forced to hold his gun, the steel made his skin twitch.

"Hah! You don't have the balls to shoot me…" the man lunged at Rukia and she scream, ducking away as a single gunshot was heard and the man fell to the floor, blood spurting, seemingly in slow motion to Rukia, from his head. Ichigo watched him fall then crossed the room to the shell-shocked Rukia. She was extremely pale and he smiled softly, then she did something that shocked him.

"Thank you…" she wrapped her arms around him, trembling as she did. He smiled lightly, hugging her back as she buried her face in his chest.

"It's not a problem… how did you hurt your hand?" He lifted her slight hand which was badly cut.

"I uhm… he broke the window and I cut myself…" She pointed at the broken window.

"You're not sleeping in this room anymore…" He told her and she stared up at him. "C'mon… we should get you to the doctor."

&&&

She pouted as she sat in the passenger's seat Ichigo and she were moving into a furnished house out in the country. He told her that out there no one could hurt her.

"Why the hell are you still staying with me? Can't you live on your own?" She fumed, looking out the window.

"Because now you're too deeply involved… they'll come look for you and I'd hate to see my lawyer get it because of me…" He pulled into the driveway to the beautiful two story ranch house. The wide veranda was made of beautiful wood and the rest of the house was built in brick, old brick. She smiled softly it was well taken care of. "There are 15 miles between us and Washington… it shouldn't be too bad of a drive for me from time to time. We will communicate only by text messages unless absolutely necessary." He handed her a white SideKick and she looked down at it. "My number's already programmed into it… if anything happens use this to contact me…" He motioned to it. "I have one as well…"

"So can't I use my old cellphone?"

"Sure… but don't tell anyone where we are on the phone… otherwise I'm sure we'll have company. Now… no more talking… let's get everything into the house.

She sighed and got out… she had the feeling that this was only the beginning.

&&&

"So you two moved out of Washington?" Toshiro blinked over at Ichigo.

"Yeah."

"You sure are taking a lot of precautions with her…" They looked over their shoulders at the prudish young woman who walked behind them.

"Yep… yep I am…" He smiled softly. "I figure that she needs someone to look after her… if I don't they who's gonna?"

"So does she go to the bathroom with you?" Uryu blinked.

"No… okay… she comes in…" He frowned slightly.

"Seriously?" Uryu said in disbelief.

"Yeah… she has to… I'm not going to leave her out there by herself!" Ichigo laughed. "She can't handle herself out there without me!"

"I guess you have a point… why don't you just arm her?" Toshiro looked over at his friend.

"I'm working on getting her used to using a gun… but so far she's been to scared to even touch it…"

"Why are all of you talking about me like I'm not here?" They heard a voice from behind them.

"Uhm…" They exchanged looks.

"I'm not deaf Kurosaki… I can hear you talking down about me…" She muttered something else under her breath that sounded an awful lot like 'I hate men…'

"Sorry… I couldn't understand that one…" Ichigo turned his head.

"Good… you shouldn't have…" She looked away giving him a good look at her profile. He chewed on the inside of his cheek lightly.

"Alright guys… we better get going…" Ichigo smiled. "I'll let you know if anything goes wrong…" Ichigo looked over their shoulders to see another of the police officers, he was staring at Rukia and for some reason that made Ichigo's blood boil. He realized how possessive he was getting of the petite lawyer.

"Okay… don't do anything too stupid Kurosaki…" Uruy warned as the other two walked out.

&&&

"That guy was staring at me…" She folded her arms in the car seat next to him. "I didn't like it… I never like it…" her eyes were sad.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" He looked over at her.

"Maybe… maybe not… why would you care? You're a cop…" She shot him a glare.

"Because… I'm a detective… and I do care…" He smiled at her and she scoffed. There was a bandage beneath her left eye holding a cut together from the glass of the two way mirror and her hand was still bandaged, she had been forced to get 14 stitches in her hand to sew up the damage from the shattered glass. He smiled; she had a bad habit of getting hurt by glass.

"Yeah right… detectives are still cops…" She looked out the window as they arrived at the beautiful farm house.

Later that evening Ichigo walked through the house looking for her. He walked through the stainless steel kitchen and through the living room to the veranda where he saw a black head through the window, sitting on the porch swing. He smiled and watched her swing for a while and take a sip from her mug of chamomile tea that she always drank before she went to bed.

"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" Ichigo asked as he walked out with a down blanket. He wore a pair of jeans and a long sleeved navy blue shirt that read "MARINES" across it in large letters.

"Yeah I guess… until you interrupt…" She was stunned when he sat down next to her in the swing and covered them both with the blanket.

"I thought you'd get cold… it is almost November you know…" He smiled softly and she looked over.

"Thank you," she nodded to him… "I think I might tell you the story now…"

&&&

HAHAHAHAAA! Guess you're gonna have to wait until tomorrow to find out what her story is! HAHAHA! Unless I get an overwhelming amount of review tonight!

Shalan


	5. The Story

**Chapter: **The Story

**Shalan Is A Whore: **XDD I am not a whore… although I bet a ton of you are thinking that by leaving you hanging all day huh? TEEHEE!

&&&

"I thought you'd get cold… it is almost November you know…" He smiled softly and she looked over.

"Thank you," she nodded to him… "I think I might tell you the story now…" She smiled softly and he looked over. She took another sip of the chamomile. He stretched and easily, carefully, cautiously placed an arm around the back of the swing behind her. To his surprise she leaned into him, letting him wrap his arm fully around her shoulders. He was surprised, extremely so that he couldn't even move. She had finally begun to warm up to him.

"Tha…that's good…" He stuttered and she looked over at him.

"S--sorry!" She sat up away from Ichigo and he gently tightened his arm, pulling her up against him again.

"It's alright… you just stunned me for a moment…" He smiled, looking out over the acreage that they now lived on.

"Okay… where do I begin?" She looked across the way to the huge oak tree that was only two yards away from the house.

"At the beginning…" Ichigo suggested and she nodded.

"I was… 14… barely even… into puberty…"

"That's the way they usually like them…" Ichigo squeezed her shoulder a little. She smiled slightly.

"My brother and I still lived in a ratty apartment in the Projects… I can't even remember the name now… anyways… I was walking home from getting what I could from the store, my brother and I worked after school whenever we could… I was just finishing middle school and he was about to finish high school…" She paused. "He came up on me… I hadn't seen him… I just heard him… he was breathing hard and… I could feel his breath on my neck…" She stopped again and he waited patiently, he knew this one was going to be a hard story to tell already.

"So you didn't know him…" Ichigo looked down at her, gently rubbing her upper arm.

"No… he just grabbed me and hit me across the face… he called me a whore and pinned me down… I was fairly weak from lack of nourishment and he pulled my underwear down, pushing my dress up and did it… It hurt so badly… I just wanted it to stop…" Tears came to her eyes and Ichigo reached over, wiping them off her face and eyelashes tenderly.

He was shocked at this motion… he had never been this careful with anyone in his life… so why was it that seeing her cry was tearing him apart from the inside out? "I screamed but no one came…" He watched as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Afterwards he stood up and just left me there in the alleyway… in all the filth on the ground, trash, urine, dirt… filth… insects crawled all over me… I hated it! I hated it!" She dug her fingernails into her arms and Ichigo reached over and gently pulled them out.

"STOP!" She shouted at him and shrunk away. He looked over at her and she looked panicked again.

"Kuchiki… it's just me…" Ichigo gently slid a hand across her jaw and neck and she closed her eyes, leaning into the caress. "Can you remember what he looked like?"

"Exactly… I see him every time I have a flashback…" She whispered softly. In that moment she looked so beautiful, her creamy face leaning against his hand, tears sparkling on her eyelashes as they brushed against her face, strands of her black hair curling along her forehead. Her red lips were slightly parted as she rubbed her cheek against his calloused hand. He felt something he had never felt before, a warmth… a caring feeling that he hadn't felt in his blood since his mother's death… a warm and gentle feeling that rushed over him… he cared about her… he knew that much…

"I'll get an artist to talk to you and we'll get a picture out…" Ichigo said as her hand gently rested on his.

"Don't do it now…" She realized what she was doing and she looked away from him, pulling away from him. "It's too nice of a night yet…" She leaned against him again and he tightened his arm around her shoulder. "Thank you for listening…" she whispered and he smiled softly.

"I've been wanting to know anyways…" He instinctively brushed a few pieces of her hair from her face.

&&&

Ichigo took her to the station the next day and they had the sketch artist draw up an image from her memory. Ichigo had told her that she had a very good memory and she had wanted to hit him.

They talked with her secretary then had gone out to spend the day buying supplies. She had shocked him by telling him another few stories about her time in New York. She always talked about a single young man however… and from time to time she would look nostalgic and Ichigo would smile, at least she wasn't having anymore flashbacks.

"So… what should we have for dinner?" He lifted an eyebrow as they put groceries away in the fridge and pantry.

"I haven't even thought about it yet…" She slid her hand along the countertop and he watched, if only she wasn't terrified of men… he could… no! Ichigo shook his head… there was no way that he would ever sleep with her… she wasn't his type… at all…

"Hmm… pasta?" He suggested and looked over at her. She shrugged. "I think I'm going to have a bath before we eat dinner alright?" Ichigo smiled. She nodded and he walked out of the room with a sigh.

&&&

The detective turned on the hot water to the bathtub and let it fill up. He unbuckled his belt, setting it and his gun on the counter. He cracked his neck as he unbuttoned his shirt. The detective had almost had enough of this danger prone Daphne… he pulled off the shirt and threw it in the dirty clothes bin with his wife beater. His suit pants and boxers came next and he threw them in the hamper as well with his socks

"Finally… some time to relax and think…" He sunk into the hot water with a deep sigh. The young man leaned his head on the back of the tub. His body reveling in the hot water. Finally a period of time when she wasn't being shot at, he could relax for a while without worrying about his employee.

_'So… she knows him… I wonder if he was actually the rapist or just a man she feared…'_ He chewed on the inside of his cheek and chuckled to himself. "I could write a book about her life and sell millions…" He laughed as he dunked his head under the water.

&&&

Rukia stood in the kitchen, humming softly to herself as she poured the water into the pot for the pasta. There was a knock at the door and she blinked, looking over. Then she shrieked and ran for the door.

Ichigo jumped when he heard her scream. He immediately pulled a towel around his waist as he jumped out and grabbed his gun. He threw himself down the stairs only to see Rukia in the arms of another man, their lips locked in a kiss that he didn't think even a pair of pliers and paint remover could break up. He felt his heart grow sad, why? Why did it hurt him to see her with another man? 'What did you think she wasn't going to have a boyfriend? An arse that pretty? C'mon Kurosaki!'

He was a redhead with long red hair, he could have sworn that he had seen the young man somewhere before. His muscular arms wrapped tightly around Rukia's much smaller form as their lips met again. 'You just thought that because she didn't warm up to you that she didn't like men period…'

"Rukia… I've missed you so much…" Ichigo frowned as he spoke; the young man had tattoos all over his arms and forehead. The white sweatband he wore was nothing to hide it.

"I know… it's been forever…" She looked up at him lovingly. Ichigo's face even grew sad… why was it that this hurt him so badly… why? "Kurosaki!" She scolded. "Put some clothes on!"

"Sorry… I heard you scream so I came running…" He retorted and waved his gun in the air half heartedly then turned and walked off.

"Who's he?" Renji lifted an eyebrow.

"A detective who's been accused of murder… now I'm helping him clear his name… he's a curse to me though… I mean… I can't go anywhere around him and not get shot at!" She laughed. "Or held at gunpoint…"

"Oh… well anyways… Megumi should be arriving any time… I hope you don't mind if we eat dinner here with you guys… I mean… it was so hard to track you down!" He smiled and her heart fell. So he was still dating Megumi… oh well… it didn't matter to her… he was just her best friend anyways. Ichigo walked back down in a pair of black suit pants and his wife beater, his orange hair still rather flat against his head. Renji walked off and Rukia looked over at Ichigo. He sauntered up to her.

"You didn't tell me… you had a…" He paused.

"He's my best friend… not boyfriend." She didn't know why she had to clarify this to him. She didn't know why she wanted him to know this… he was frustrating her again… and she hated being frustrated.

"Oh… right…" Ichigo looked off to the side and sighed lightly. She watched his stomach muscles rippled beneath the tight wife beater. She felt her stomach twist tightly. Why was she thinking like this about him? Men were horrible… and given the chance he would probably do the same thing to her that the other man had done… there were plenty of men out there who would…

&&&

"RENJIII!" A woman's voice called from the front door as Rukia was cooking a little while later. Renji stood and ran to the door. Ichigo looked over then dropped his head down on the table. "It's been a while…" She laughed as their lips met…

"How many women does this guy have under his fuckin' thumb?" Ichigo covered his head with his hands. He was just a lowly detective… not some basketball played for the Chicago Bulls. _'Yeah… bull is right… bull shit…'_ Ichigo thought to himself.

"Happy Hallowe'en!" Meg smiled from the doorway. Ichigo nodded to her.

&&&

He waved them goodbye and turned to speak with Rukia. He saw her walk her way up towards her bedroom.

"Could you… clean up the kitchen?" She said softly and he felt stunned, he had never really seen vulnerability like this one in her before… like she would break apart in a second…

"Yeah… yeah I can…" He nodded. "Are you alright?" Why was he asking her that? Why did he care? Why did he CARE?

"Thanks…" She turned and walked up the stairs, leaving him at the bottom, wondering what was wrong with her. He felt his cell phone vibrate and he picked it up, answering it as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey! How are you doing?" He heard from the other line.

"Kisuke…" He laughed softly.

"You betcha! I was wondering how you were doing scout… are you alright?"

"Yeah…"

"You disappeared off the face of the planet…"

"I did that on purpose and if I can fool you I guess I have done my job well huh?" He smiled into the phone.

"So… can I come find you or have you eloped to a different country?" Ichigo laughed as Kisuke spoke.

"Nah… but I can't talk over this phone…"

"Sure you can… don't tell me where you are… just tell me how you're doing…"

"I'm alright… I've already answered this question Kisuke…"

"Yeah you're right. Anyways I was thinking that you and I should get together again sometime and talk. I heard you killed someone."

"Cheaah…" Ichigo rolled his eyes as he washed the dishes off, putting them away in the dish washer.

"Ah! I see… anyways you should call me sometimes and perhaps I would feel better about leaving you alone…" Kisuke laughed.

"Yeah… thanks for worrying about me man…"

"You're only my best prodigy I have ever had! You should quit being a detective and just write for me." Kisuke laughed again and Ichigo nodded. "Anyways… I have to go so I'll talk to you later sport!"

"Yeah… be careful Urahara…" Ichigo hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket as he turned off the lights in the house.

Later that evening he sat on his bed, typing on his computer in the dark. The door opened and someone that he did not expect entered the room. "Kuchiki?"

&&&

XDDD HOW WAS THAT HUH? GOOD CHAPTER?? **READ AND REVIEW** DAMN IT! TELL ME IF YOU LIKE IT DON'T JUST READ IT AND LEAVE ME HANGING!

Shalan


	6. Roxanne

**Chapter: **Roxanne

**Shalan's Whatever: **Yeah… that was an interesting end to the chapter wasn't it… I wonder what happened there? Did she change her mind… did they do it? Who is Roxanne? Will Rukia ever unbutton the top button of her blouse… will Ichigo finally crack her shell? And will Rukia bend for him? DUNNO! FIND OUT… sometimes… I have these nightmares… and they scare me…

&&&

Ichigo sighed lightly as he stood in his wife beater and jacket, his suit pants had been quickly buckled in place when they had called him and told him that they had caught the murderer. He shook his head as he stood on the other side of the glass, Rukia stood beside and slightly behind him.

"He's not the one…" Ichigo put his hand to his forehead.

"They're sure that they've caught the right man… don't ruin it for them… at least they caught somebody…" Rukia looked away as Ichigo looked over at her. She was still blushing about what had transpired earlier that day. The night before they had spent the entire night talking about absolutely nothing… then this morning he had taken a chance and had planted a soft kiss on her lips… She had slapped him hard across the face.

"No… they've got to be told…" Ichigo walked over to the door.

"Kurosaki… they're not going to listen to you." She told him the truth… the truth that he never had faced before… they weren't going to listen to him… because for the moment they had the respect of the people back. "Now let's g…" She had forgotten… he could go home now…

"You've remembered huh?" He smiled over at her. She nodded. "That place out in the country is yours… I bought it… I figure that I wouldn't take very good care of it… so you can have it." Ichigo tossed her the keys. "See you later…" He turned and walked off, his hands in his pockets. She frowned a little. This was it? After putting her through near death experiences over and over again all he does is give her a house? She stomped her foot.

"Fuck him," she spun on her heel and walked out. Her car was parked a ways away from the police station and as she walked she sensed someone following her. She walked a little faster but the person stayed the same.

"Rukia Kuchiki?" She heard a familiar voice. She swung around.

"KAIEN!" She ran towards him and he grabbed her mid-jump pulling her in to plant a passionate kiss on her lips. "Oh Kaien…" She dragged her fingers through his hair and Ichigo watched. The man held Rukia so close, so tenderly that he wondered if he was the one she loved.

"I've missed you…" He whispered against her lips… "I love you." He smiled as he set her down and she buried her face into his chest.

"I love you too." She took in a deep breath of his scent but for some reason it didn't enchant her the way it used to… instead it made her pause a moment and wonder if she still loved him. Psh! What was she thinking? Of course she still loved him… she smiled as their lips again and Ichigo felt his heart sink. She loved him… but he didn't know why that hurt him so badly…

&&&

"You get more beautiful every time I see you!" Kaien laughed as they walked into her new house. "Every time I see you…" Her arms wrapped around his neck as their lips met again but for some reason she didn't feel her belly ignite again the way it usually did.

"Kaien… I missed you…" Thinking that it was just because she had been away from him for so long their lips met again and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed her up against the front door.

"Can't you wait until we get to the bedroom?" He muttered against her lips.

"Can you?" She replied as their lips met once again, but again, she didn't feel the tightening in her loins that she used to… the beautiful heat that made her body soar. Though she had never actually had sex with him her boyfriend stayed with her faithfully. For some reason though… today she wanted him to make love to her… to erase this idiot who'd been living with her for the past two weeks.

Kaien easily carried her up into the bedroom and laid her flat out on the bed and she looked over and froze. There, on the dresser, was a box of his cigarettes, the ones that he only smoked when he was extremely strained. She felt her body go numb and her mind was suddenly filled with thoughts of him.

"I am in Washington DC… you are somewhere else…" He said as he dropped onto the bed beside her.

"Sorry… I've just had so many problems in the past couple of weeks that I just can't focus on any one thing…" She smiled over at him. "Can you keep waiting for me?" He nodded.

"Honey… I could wait for you for a thousand years," he grinned back and kissed her on the lips.

&&&

He had spent the past week thinking about her… and he didn't like it… Ichigo slammed things around in his house angrily. "What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't she love me?" He slammed the door shut and froze. "WHY THE HELL DO I WANT HER TO LOVE ME????" He banged the bedroom door shut. "Fuck." He breathed as he dropped down on his bed.

"Why don't I have anyone that loves me?" Ichigo whispered to himself, his arms folded behind his head.

_'Because you're a cop… and you're completely closed off to the rest of the world…'_ His brain told him

"Be logical… she likes me… she wouldn't have leaned on me…"

_'But she doesn't love you!'_

"I want her to! WHY? WHY DO I WANT HER TO LOVE ME?" It had already become an obsession, not feeling her skin, not smelling her scent in his house. Not hearing her voice… he threw his hands into the air.

_'Do you love her?'_ The little voice asked innocently.

"WHAT?" He sat up. "I DON'T LOVE HER! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?" He flipped over and pressed his face into his pillow, only to have the image of her naked body invade his thoughts. He had only seen it once but once was enough to ingrain it in his mind. Damn his brilliant memory abilities. Damn her beautiful skin… damn his life.

_'If you can't have her… have someone else and get it out of your system…'_ the voice told him.

"Yeah… I betcha I could find plenty of girls who'd be willing to replace her…"

&&&

Six times… that was how many times he had fucked two different girls. Yes… it took two women to erase one from his memory. And it wasn't making love… oh no… it was full out fucking. He was just using them to get her out of his head and away from his memories. The second girl had stayed while the other had left early. She was a woman in her early thirties that he assumed had been in her profession for quite a while. She was well practiced and had even taught him a thing or two. The first one had been free… it was after that which he knew that he needed a professional to wipe her from his mind… that was when he called her.

"So who is she?" The woman asked, looking over at him. She was fairly pretty with long black hair and tanned skin.

"Hmmm?" he looked over.

"I don't usually get customers as young as you… so who is she? There's always someone…" She smiled.

"Do you have a name?" He twirled a strand of her black hair around his finger.

"They call me Roxanne… but you called me Rukia…" She smiled and he sighed, falling back onto his back. "Is that who it is that you were thinking about?" The woman straddled his waist.

"I don't know why… she's… not mine… she'll never be mine… and besides… I'd only known her for two weeks…" He looked up at her. She even looked a little like Rukia from what he could see, an older version of her. "So how could it be that she could infect me like this?" He folded his arms behind his head. "Do I have to pay extra for the psychological advice?" He lifted his eyebrows.

"I like you sweetheart… you care more than my other customers do… I mean… to think… you were also one of the more experienced…" She smiled lightly and Ichigo chuckled.

"Thank you… does that make me a good lover or a bad one?"

"You balance experience with feeling, you were probably one of the best I've ever been with… to think you forced me to climax first… psh…" She smiled down at him.

"I was thinking about her all night…" He confessed.

"I know you were… I could tell… I always can… that doesn't mean anything to me…" She chuckled lightly.

"You… my friend… are a very strange person…" She leaned down and pressed her breasts to his chest and touched their foreheads together. "You have the eyes of a gentleman but the hands of a worker man…" She smiled. "Tell me Ichigo Kurosaki… where did you come from?"

"I was born in London, England…"

"That would explain the British accent…and?"

"My father made sure that I went to the best schools possible… my mother made sure that I was trained physically… she took me to karate and fencing practice every day…" He smiled softly. "But my mother died when I was nine… leaving me, my father and my sisters by ourselves… I never could get over that…"

"She reminds you of your mother, no?" Roxanne smiled at him and planted a tender kiss on his lips.

"Yeah… when I turned eighteen I joined the military… here in the US, my father moved us here when I was 16 you see…" Ichigo nodded his head. "I was a naturalized citizen because my parents were both Americans…"

"Ah…" Roxanne smiled.

"I killed people… I killed a lot of people… I know I did… I was a marksman in the Marine Corps… I was a Gunnery Sergeant… and I hated it…" Ichigo let her kiss him again, her hands combing his body. "I became a detective after I finished that gig and until three weeks ago I hadn't fired a gun… and I killed someone else… for her! I killed him to protect her!" He tangled his fingers in his hair.

"Sounds to me like you've fallen for this girl… if you're willing to kill for her," her lips caressed his neck and jaw…

"Yeah… but that's not true… because I'm not just going to stand by and let some guy rape her…"

"If you didn't care about her… you wouldn't have bothered to protect her…" She smiled up at him. He considered this for a moment.

"Let's say… hypothetically… oh… don't do that!" Her lips made a path down his neck and chest. "Hypothetically speaking I was in love with her… what the hell do I do about it?"

"What's standing in your way?" She questioned.

"Another man…" Ichigo thought back to seeing her kiss Kaien.

"Ah! Then he's your problem… not her… besides… I think that once you get her in bed she'll bend to your every will…"

"That's just the problem… she's a complete prude… she won't even hardly come near me…" He folded his arms across his smooth chest.

"That's not a problem… I can teach you a few tricks that will have even the most closed off martyr bend to your will like warm putty…" She smiled cattishly up at him and a smile spread across his face.

"That doesn't cost extra does it? Or do you take tips…" He smiled as their lips met again.

"I'll take a nice tip…" She grinned down at him as she kissed him again and he rolled her over, pinning her to the bed.

&&&

Rukia sat out on the porch swing, and unfortunately she was thinking about Ichigo… she had been thinking about him for the past few weeks… but she wasn't going to see him again… so she didn't care but… for some reason… he was haunting her.

"Why won't you go away?" She threw her mug against the wall and listened to the satisfying crunch.

&&&

Naughty naughty Ichigo! OMG I can't believe that chapter! XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Anyways… uhm…

Yeah…

That was…

Ichigo…

No she's not going to show up again…

Except for maybe flashbacks…

This chapter inspired by El Tango De Roxanne from:

Moulin Rouge…

We Thank You For Your Time!

Tune In Next Time!

Shalan


	7. Dove So White

**Chapter: **Dove So White

**Shalan Whooo?:** I am the coolest! XDDD no I'm just kidding… so do I have you all hanging by the skin of your teeth? More IchiRuki XDDD finally… and don't worry… I'll warn you a few chapters ahead if I'm going to have some… lemony… stuff XDDDD Uhm… I have to tell you… I have changed some things about the story… and instead of October and November they were in September and October! Otherwise this would never work!

&&&

Kaien sighed deeply as he lay in the bed with Rukia. She was asleep against his chest. She hadn't exactly been in the same world as him for nearly the past month and a half and every time she slept now he would hear her say the name Ichigo under her breath. He frowned… there was something wrong with that… and he was planning on changing it.

"Good morning…" She yawned up at him. The black haired young man looked down.

"Good morning," he looked away as she stood up and walked into the bathroom. "Do you always have to wear those silly pajamas buttoned so far up?" Kaien pulled himself out of bed.

"Yes…" She told him. For some reason his silly questions had begun to annoy her and she felt that he was starting to try and push her for some reason… "Ichigo never pushed me…" She whispered under her breath and Kaien lifted and eyebrow.

"WHO THE HELL IS ICHIGO?" He fumed. He was tired about hearing this name… he was tired of hearing about this person…

"Uhm… what?" She looked up.

"Never mind… just get ready… remember we have a Thanksgiving party to go to tonight…" Kaien frowned and she nodded.

"I've never understood why I can't just NOT go to a Thanksgiving party…" She sighed and pulled out one of the shapeless black dresses.

"No." He heard him say from behind her, "wear the white one…" He pointed at a white roman dress. It had a single strap that laced onto the back over her shoulder, hanging to the floor. The bodice was cinched white fabric and the skirt was long and hung out behind her slightly.

"It's too revealing!" She protested.

"It's fine…" He insisted and she sighed, there was no way to convince him otherwise… was there?

"Okay… I'll wear it…" She sighed and pulled out the beautiful white gown. "Haven't you heard about no white after labor day?" She looked over at him.

"Rukia… please don't complain… just please wear it… and we'll get through the day…" He kissed her cheek and again, it annoyed her… she didn't know why.

"Okay… I'll wear it…"

&&&

Ichigo sighed lightly. "You enjoying yourself?" Uryu looked over at him and Ichigo shook his head. His beautiful black suit was set off by a rust colored dress shirt which made his eyes turn deep ocher.

"Yeah sure…" Ichigo smiled softly. He was trying to humor his best friend. Uryu folded his arms.

"Get out there, meet a girl… talk to people… don't just get drunk…" Uryu told him.

"Yeah…" Ichigo walked out onto the dance floor and was immediately asked to dance by a beautiful black woman with long black hair. "Yoruichi… how are you?" He smiled down as he placed a hand on her hip, the other taking hers as a slow song played on the speakers.

"I'm doing great… you?" He grinned, at least he had someone he knew to dance with.

"I'm fine… and Kisuke sends his regards from the bar…" She laughed and nodded towards the bar.

"Yep… he hasn't changed…" Ichigo laughed and suddenly his eyes stopped on a creamy back, a white dress was cinched around her back, low, exposing her silky back. The white fabric was thrown over one shoulder and it hung to the ground. Her black hair was pulled up in an elegantly curled updo, exposing her swan-like neck. The silver tear drop diamond earrings were elegant and she wore no necklace. He watched her nod and walked over, she looked enough like Rukia.

"Excuse me… could I ha…" It was Rukia.

"Kurosaki…" Her face flushed as he stared at her. He was surprised that she was wearing something so revealing.

"Have this dance…" He finished finally, she had taken his breath away… the dress was beautiful, but it dimmed in comparison to her own beauty… he had never seen her with make up on and with her hair so marvelously done.

"Of course you can…" She offered her hand to him and he kissed it, letting his lips linger a while longer on her hand than Kaien would have liked; she felt a heat rise in her belly. This wasn't right… he placed a hand on her waist and took her hand in his, gently guiding her across the dance floor. "I didn't know you could dance Kurosaki…" She smiled lightly.

"I didn't either…" He joked, she didn't know he was this enjoyable to be around… not when he was as stupid as we was.

"So… how have you been doing?" She lifted an eyebrow… Ichigo laughed softly… how had be been doing? HA! How had he been doing?

"I've been doing great…" He wanted to make sure, that if she did feel anything for him, she would feel sad that he didn't care about her being around.

"That's good…" He saw her azure eyes dim slightly and he almost smiled, his plan was working. "So how've you been?" His rust eyes met her cerulean and he felt his heart stop… this was why he loved her…

"I've been alright…" She smiled softly as Ichigo wrapped his arms around her waist, she allowed herself to be drawn in, her body extremely uncomfortable but for some reason she wanted him to hold her.

"Excuse me…" Kaien tapped Ichigo on the shoulder and he drew away.

"Sorry… did I steal your date?" Ichigo chuckled and Kaien nodded, a sour look on his face. Ichigo glared back and Rukia looked between them… why was Kurosaki glaring at Kaien? "Didn't think you would take so hard to someone who saved her from dying several times…"

"Sorry… I just don't like seeing her with other men…" Kaien pulled her away from Ichigo and she frowned again. She didn't like it when Kaien was so possessive.

"Fine… it's fine!" Ichigo laughed and walked off. Rukia spun towards Kaien with an angry look on her face.

"KAIEN!" She tugged him over out into the hallway to the hotel where the party was being held. "Kaien why did you do that?" She looked up at him and he frowned down at her.

"I didn't like the way you were looking at him!" Kaien wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry Rukia… it made me angry…" He pressed his face into her neck and left a small line of kisses down her neck. "Please don't be mad at me…" He whispered.

"I'm not mad… just please… don't be like that anymore… and don't ever make me wear something like this again…"

&&&

She walked through the aisles to the store, her modest white turtle neck was paired with a pair of jeans that he swore had been made for a forty year old woman… she should be flaunting that beautiful body of hers… He watched her from behind one of the racks. Her eyelashes brushed against her cheeks lightly and he felt his heart clench, he had to stop thinking about her that way… it was obvious she loved Kaien…

"Kurosaki… what are you doing?" He heard her ask and he swung around, when had she snuck up on him?

"M--me? Nothing…" He smiled at her. She had always thought he was handsome when he was cleaned up… except that rough 5 o'clock shadow made him look sexier than ever. His long charcoal pants were met by his shiny black dress shoes, his white button down shirt was obviously from Armani or something of that type and his black pea coat was pulled on over that, unbuttoned and exposing his black suit jacket.

"How are you?" She averted her eyes, why was she thinking this way about a man? She didn't even think that way about Kaien! WHY! WHY?

"I'm doing better than ever," he smiled again. He was sure that the girl could dress in a dirty sack and still look beautiful… but he wouldn't tell her that… not yet anyways.

"That's good," she nodded as he walked through the line with her. They talked as she made her way through the line and out towards their cars.

"Oh well… I guess this is goodbye…" Ichigo smiled over at her and she nodded. Ichigo looked over and his sharp eye caught something that made his heart stop. "GET DOWN!" He jumped towards her, pushing her to the ground as bullets rained down upon them. She watched in slow motion as one of them ripped through his chest from the side, blood spurting from the wound. Rukia watched in horror as his body covered hers. Her chest heaved then she was stunned as he shifted his body and pulled out his gun, his teeth gritted. He fired three shots while the gunfire continued. One bullet grazed his cheek and another clipped his left upper arm but he fired again and the gunfire stopped and a thunk could be heard from the other side of the car.

"ICHIGO!" She screamed as she saw his eyes roll back into his head and he collapsed into her arms, blood streaming from the wounds.

&&&

When Rukia returned home late Kaien rushed to her. "Rukia… oh Rukia!" He hugged her tightly. She was covered in blood and he blinked. "What… happened? Are you hurt?" He stroked the side of her face. She closed her eyes. He saw the splatters of blood on her face mixed with tears and he felt his heart fall…

"Ichigo… is in the hospital…" She sobbed and pressed her face into her boyfriend's chest.

"Good… maybe he'll stay there and far away from us…" Kaien nuzzled his face into her hair.

"KAIEN!" She screamed and pulled away from him. "HE'S GOING TO DIE!" She was trembling and Kaien stared at her, she meant he was _in_ the hospital.

"Then go see him!" Kaien told her.

"I was told to leave… and leave him alone…" She sighed softly and pressed her face into his chest. "Oh Kaien… please… I'm so sorry…" She whispered. "Why did this have to happen to us?" He gently stroked her hair and sighed.

"I don't know… don't worry too much… he'll be alright…" Kaien whispered back.

&&&

NOW! C'mon guys would I really kill my main character?

Hmm… knowing me?

YES!

But you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out if I killed him… and then… It will be a longer chapter don't worry…

Shalan


	8. God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen

**Chapter: **God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen

**Shalan's A Whore: **You guys were probably calling me some nasty names last night huh? XDDDDDDD I love leaving you all hanging! You leave me the best reviews! …dies… anyways! We find out if Ichigo lives today!

**Glossary:**

**Propoxy**: The generic form of prescription drug Darvocet-N, a type of pain pill that is more of a pain masker than an anti-inflammatory medication. Comes in 100 mg tablets and can be taken with an 800 Ibuprofen, a prescription anti-inflammatory medication. (How do I know all this? Because I've had knee surgery! XDDDDD)

&&&

Ichigo chewed on his knuckle lightly. He looked over at the forgotten pizza box and almost sighed. He found that rather painful and stopped, standing up with a heavy groan he leaned deeply on the sturdy wooden cane that he held in his hand and dragged himself into the kitchen with another groan.

"Three fuckin weeks of this… and for what?" He panted lightly, even this physical activity was strenuous for him.

Rukia looked at the address on the back of the card and spoke to the taxi driver, handing him the card, the container next to her sloshing a little.

_God rest you merry, gentlemen,_

_Let nothing you dismay,_

_Remember Christ our Savior_

_Was born on Christmas Day;_

_To save us all from Satan's power_

_When we were gone astray._

_O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,_

_O tidings of comfort and joy._

He didn't quite understand this one… he usually spent Christmas with his family but they hadn't come to Washington this year and he was in no condition to travel anywhere. He frowned slightly as his wound throbbed painfully. "Ngh…" He put a hand on the wound and grimaced, gritting his teeth, he had moved too much. He heard his stomach rumble and he slowly shuffled his way towards the fridge.

"Why do I think there's gonna be anything in here?" He asked himself out loud. His speaking voice wasn't quite what it used to be… it had now become something of a breathy growl as he couldn't use too much force of his lungs.

She looked out the window as the snow fell and her heart sank, the argument that she and Kaien had had earlier in the day made her heart ache.

_"I DON'T WANT YOU GOING TO HIS APARTMENT ALONE!" Kaien thundered. _

_"KAIEN! I HAVE TO! I'M THE REASON HE'S HURT!" She had obeyed him for the past few weeks but now she had had it with him. She wasn't going to leave him all by himself on Christmas Eve._

_"RUKIA! HE'S A DANGER TO YOUR HEALTH! DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'VE BEEN SHOT AT MORE TIMES THAN ANYONE SHOULD BE IN HIS COMPANY!" Kaien roared back._

_"KAIEN!" She shouted back but then stopped… he was right. _

_From God our Heavenly Father,_

_A blessed angel came;_

_And unto certain Shepherds_

_Brought tidings of the same:_

_How that in Bethlehem was born_

_The Son of God by Name._

_O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,_

_O tidings of comfort and joy._

"Fuck…" He muttered under his breath as he breathed lightly, his chest hardly moving in little bursts as he made his way across his flat. He looked out the window at the cars out on the street. "Why do I keep thinking about her? She doesn't care…" He hung his head. She didn't care.

His cell phone rang from across the room and he looked over at it with a foul look on his face. This meant he had to make his way all the way over there in a matter of seconds and it was too painful to get there. He crossed the room slowly, he hated being this way… he also hated being dirty and at the moment that was what he was.

"Ku-Kurosaki…" Ichigo panted into the phone.

"ICHIGO!" He heard his slap-happy father's voice from the other line.

"Dad…" Ichigo smiled, he knew his father had just called to cheer him up.

"How are you doing son? We're flying in on the 26th! Sorry it took us that long!" His father laughed from the other end.

"I'm alright dad… that's good… I'm glad I'll be able to see you all for Christmas…" Ichigo smiled again, so he was going to get to see his family.

"Okay… here…" Ichigo suddenly heard himself be put on speakerphone.

"NO! NO! DAD!" He laughed as he heard his sister's chattering voices.

_And when they came to Bethlehem_

_Where our dear Savior lay,_

_They found him in a manger,_

_Where oxen feed on hay;_

_His mother Mary kneeling down,_

_Unto the Lord did pray:_

_O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,_

_O tidings of comfort and joy._

Rukia sighed again, he had left her… Kaien Shiba had left her… he had packed his bags and left the house the same day that she was going over to Ichigo's apartment… she hoped she wouldn't regret going to visit him… because if she did… she had just let Kaien Shiba go.

The taxi pulled up in front of his new apartment building and she got out, paying the cab driver. She smiled lightly and he nodded. "Thank you, Merry Christmas…" She took her bags and the heavy container out of the car and walked into the apartment building.

Ichigo laughed again. "Your laugh isn't as full as it was brother! Are you doing better now?" Yuzu asked from the other line.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" He smiled softly, feeling the pain spreading from his chest. "I should probably…" He stopped as he heard a knock at the door. "Go… I'll talk to you all later…"

"Okay! See you on the 26th!" Karin laughed as he hung up. He slipped the phone into his pocket and hobbled slowly over to the door.

_Now to the Lord sing praises,_

_All you within this place,_

_And with true love and brotherhood_

_Each other now embrace;_

_This holy tide of Christmas_

_All other doth deface:_

_O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,_

She waited patiently as she set down the heavy packages, knowing that he wouldn't be moving very quickly. She heard him thunk across the hardwood floors of his apartment and heard the click of a lock. The door swung slowly open and there he stood before her in a pair of sweat pants and soft white gauze wrapped around his chest.

"Rukia?" Her name escaped his lips and the young woman wrapped her arms around his neck suddenly, planting a long awaited kiss on his lips, his arm that wasn't balancing him wrapped around her waist as they kissed, their lips meeting several times in a row, one of her hands sliding across his neck and face.

_O tidings of comfort and joy._

She stood in the kitchen a little while later wearing something he had never thought he would see her wearing. The young woman wore a fairly tight black scoop neck shirt with bebe across the front and a pair of low hip huggers with a rip in the knee. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a few stray tresses of hair curled against her forehead as she heated up the homemade stew. Ichigo in the meantime sat on a soft pillow on the couch.

"You going to tell me why you're here?" Ichigo looked over at her and she smiled, the smell of the stew rising into the air.

"I just thought I wouldn't be fair to leave you by yourself on Christmas Eve…" She walked around the bar and walked over to him, standing in front of him. The detective reached out and brushed his fingers against her stomach tenderly. She drew away slightly and his eyes darkened, he understood that he had to work her in slowly but he wanted her so badly that it was a pain.

"Thank you…" he looked down then felt her hand on the side of his face.

"You're filthy…" She told him sternly and he blinked up at her with a sheepish smile. "I'll go fill you a hot bath…" She turned and he took her hand in his.

"You're a godsend…" he smiled up at her and she smirked back, he had never seen her smirk before either.

When she walked back in he could hear the sound of running water and she looked over at him. "I'll help you to the bath…" She reached out to him but this time it was his turn to shy away, he hated people helping him. The detective stood up in his adopted stoop and hobbled over to the bathroom with his cane. "Alright… maybe I won't…" She sighed and went to the kitchen.

Only a few minutes later did his phone ring again. She blinked over at it curiously then picked it up. "Hello?"

"Ichigo?" An incredulous voice said over the phone and she blinked.

"No… uhm… this is Rukia…" She laughed.

"What are you doing at Ichigo's house?" She heard Toshiro's voice over the phone. She recognized it easily, she had spent enough time at the police station to know it.

"I'm here for Christmas and to help him out a little…" She smiled. "I'll get him…" She dropped her arm down and paused as she looked towards his bedroom… did she go in? What if… he… no… she shook her head and stepped towards the room.

Ichigo looked up from scrubbing his arm cheerily only to see her standing before him, the phone held in her hand. "I… uhmm… here…" She held out the phone to him and he took it carefully.

"Kurosaki." Ichigo took her hand as she turned to walk out and she paused, turning around. He smiled and pulled her closer, tangling his fingers in hers.

"Hey! Ichigo!" He heard Toshiro's voice over the phone. "I wanted to see how you were doing! The doctors said you were taking medicine for the pain… are you?" Ichigo looked over at the full pill bottle and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah… yeah I am…" He chuckled, which also hurt. She reached out and her fingers touched his shoulder, causing goose flesh to jump up on his skin. "Yeah…" He laughed lightly. She moved a little closer, letting his hand fall to the ground and her fingers brushed his skin again, it was so smooth and soft. She ran her hand along his shoulders behind his neck then tenderly began to massage his back. She heard a soft groan from his lips as she did so and drew her hands back in fear. Ichigo continued to speak and turned his head to look at her, wondering why she had stopped. "Alright… I'll talk to you on Friday then…" He chuckled into his phone. "Happy Christmas…" His British accent had been extremely prominent when he had said that. He hung up the phone and set it on the small shelf next to the bathtub.

"S…sorry…" she backed out of the bathroom and he sighed, there was no way around it was there? He stood up, rather painfully, from the bathtub and stepped out only to slip and fall on his ass. "ICHIGO!" She rushed in and froze in the doorway like a deer in the headlights. Ichigo stared back… then smirked slightly; he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Sorry…" He pulled a towel over himself but the damage was done, she turned tail and fled from the room. He sighed, she spooked so easily, there was no possible way to get her to have any physical contact with him now… He groaned as he tried to stand up and only managed to cause himself more pain. "Rukia!" He called painfully. "Kuchiki! I have a towel on! Com… oh…" He put his hand on his chest, breathing slowly like the doctors had told him to.

"Kurosaki?" She peeped from the doorway and peered around the door. Ichigo was in pain, she could tell… so why did it hurt her to see him in pain? She walked over slowly and easily lifted him to his feet. She had never noticed how tall he was before but as she looked up at him she felt her cheeks flush and she backed away. "I… I'll go finish dinner…" She disappeared through the door again and Ichigo rolled his eyes, there was no way that he was going to let her get away that easily.

&&&

After she helped him wrap a new roll of white gauze around his chest to keep the wound clean Ichigo made his way back into the living room slowly and painfully, he had been doing too much physical activity lately… he knew it and she knew it… unfortunately she knew it all too well.

"Sit down," he heard her command.

"What? Do I look like a dog to you?" He protested then his body protested back and he immediately sat down, lowering his body down onto the soft cushion.

"Thank you," she pulled the TV tray closer to him and set the stew down on top of it.

"No, thank you," he smiled up at her and she flushed, walking away from him. Ichigo frowned again. _'Damn… she's unbreakable… BUT the kiss has brought me hope…'_ Ichigo sighed and reached over with his good hand, picking up the spoon but his hand shook with pain and he dropped it. _'Shit… here I go again… being pathetic…'_ He frowned; he hated looking pathetic in front of people, especially women. Then a hot spoon poked him in the lips. He pursed them, sipping the stew off the spoon, his amber eyes locked into her indigo.

"You don't need to worry about looking bad in front of me… I know how strong you are…" she whispered softly and sat down beside him. His gaze softened yet intensified at the same time and she reached over, scooping up another spoonful.

"You're like my mother…" Ichigo smile as she continued to feed him.

"Take these…" She held up two of the pain pills he had been given. One was oblong and pink, the other was smaller and white.

"Why?" He flinched as he moved slightly.

"That's why Ichigo! You're in so much pain you can't hardly stand it!" She nearly threw them at him."

"You called me Ichigo…" He held up two fingers. "Twice in one day…" A smile spread across his lips.

"Kurosaki…" there was a warning tone in her voice and he sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he had to take them or she'd kill him herself. He reached out and took them in his hand.

"Stupid fricken medicine…" he mumbled under his breath as a water bottle was handed to him.

"You'll heal better if you drink more of this and less alcohol…" he frowned again but realized that she was just taking care of him. He took both pills in one swig and turned back to her.

"Thanks mom…" he said sarcastically and she flushed.

"I felt guilty…" she confessed, about to stand up his hand grabbed hers and pulled her back down.

"Thank you," he whispered softly and she looked over at him, her azure eyes soft. He reached up and gently stroked a calloused hand along her cheek. Why should he be allowed to touch such a beautiful creature? Why should his war beaten body be allowed to be near hers? Why did his heart stop every time he thought she was going to be hurt?

_'You love her…'_ His mind repeated as his thumb brushed her lips slightly. She felt her face heat up and his eyes became curious… would she let him kiss her? He leaned forward and just as their lips brushed she pulled away and he frowned… there it was again, the same man right in the middle of them… that problem that couldn't go away.

"I could erase him from your memory…" his hand cupped the side of her face and she looked away from him.

"Kurosaki… I only came here to make sure you were alright…" She scooped up another spoonful of food and stuffed it into his mouth so he couldn't retort.

Later that evening when she had passed out asleep on his bed he sat in the soft chair beside it and watched her. He had two bedrooms but he didn't have the strength to pick her up and move her so he decided to leave her there.

'_She really is beautiful…'_ Her angelic features were saved from her usual stress lines and were instead as peaceful as an undisturbed lake. He leaned back against the chair, she was right… taking that medicine helped… he wasn't in as much pain as he had been. His eyes glanced over at her again and he found his eyes locked into a pair of beautiful cerulean. She sat up sleepily and walked over to him.

"Why aren't you asleep?" She muttered as she stumbled towards him.

"I had someone in my bed…" He replied with a slight smile, "Besides… I wouldn't want to intrude on her…" He smiled lightly again and she reached out, her cool fingers brushing against his heated cheek.

"You have a fever…" she rubbed an eye and beckoned to him. "To bed… I'll get you some chamomile tea to help you sleep…" She sauntered out of the room drowsily and he chuckled. The detective stood and walked over, snuggling himself down in the covers that she had warmed for him unknowingly.

After she brought him the tea she sat down beside him and drank her own, watching him as he slowly lifted the mug to his lips. She smiled, watching his muscles ripple.

"You're staring again…" He whispered to her as he put the mug down.

"Yeah… sorry… I do that sometimes…" She looked over at him with a sad look on her face.

"Don't worry about it… it's not like it bothers me…" he sipped his drink again.

"Tell me about the war you keep talking about…" She whispered and he looked over.

"Oh… it wasn't really a war…" He smiled again.

"Tell me about it anyways… I told you my story so now you need to tell me yours…" She insisted but her lids drooped down and he smiled, taking the mug away from her and setting it on the bedside table. She closed her eyes and leaned against him, taking in a deep breath of his scent. He leaned them down on the bed, setting his own mug down. He would tell her tomorrow… yes… he had all day tomorrow to tell her… her arms wrapped around him carefully and he cradled her body to his… for now he was happy enough just being in her arms.

&&&

AWEE! I gave you guys Ichigo back… after a whole night of fretting you all finally get your answer… I now have to take a break from this story… I need to write some on Call Me no? XDDD I haven't even started on chapter eight yet! XDDDDD don't hate me! I have to finish it and then I'll post it… once I do that I'll post the next chapter of this… which I haven't even THOUGHT about yet… not to mention the task of writing chapter FOUR of Apostando!

Hang 10 Crew! Don't give up on me yet!

Shalan


	9. Thoughts

**Chapter: **Thoughts

**Shalan's Brilliant: **NO! I'm just kidding don't throw anything at me! …_ducks_… anyways… something a wee bit lemony… not really but you might have a slightly lemon-like taste in your mouth… tee hee anyways! Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep updating!

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Ichigo felt soft fingers on his skin when he woke the next morning. He didn't open his eyes and simply waited to see what the hands were going to do. Her fingers gingerly traced his collarbone a few times then became more bold and traced their way down to his chest, delicately drawing paths down his stomach. Her lips brushed his lightly and he knew that she was getting curious, not that she would ever tell him that while he was awake. He felt his loins tighten and closed his eyes tighter trying to block it out. Her hands combed down his body to the v of his navel, one finger following the path of the etched muscles but as her fingers reached the band of his pants she drew away, as her hand was moving his hand took hers. His eyes locked into hers as her breath caught in her throat, had he been awake the whole time?

"It's okay…" his voice was barely a hoarse whisper as he pulled her hand back and pressed her palm flat against his navel. She felt her face flush as his hand guided hers lower towards the semi-erect member beneath his sweatpants. She kept her eyes locked into his as her palm glided along the hardened flesh underneath the fabric. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head as she took her own liberty, her fingers slipping into the band of his pants. However, like a crab, she retreated back from him and pulled her hands up against her chest. She had gone too far. He groaned lightly as he sat up, turning his back to her, Jesus, her being curious was about make him loose it.

"S…sorry…" he heard her choke from behind him as he strained to control himself. He wanted her so badly just that little bit of contact made his entire body react wildly.

"It's… nothing…" he put his hands to his face, then felt a cool hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry…" his hazel eyes were soft as she moved over to sit next to him.

"No reason… I…" she hung her head slightly and Ichigo reached over, caressing the side of her face gently. Rukia leaned into his palm with a soft sigh. "I shouldn't have…" her blue eyes met his amber and she leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's alright… really… I don't know what came over me…" he lied, looking away from her.

"You're lying Kurosaki… I can always tell…" He looked down at her and she smiled up at him. "Thank you for it…" Her lips met his and his eyes did roll back into his head. His arms wrapped, rather painfully, around her small body and pulled her tightly against his. His left arm, ached slightly as he lifted it, bringing her lips closer to his. She groaned lightly as he left rough kisses down her neck. A feeling she had only felt once or twice before suddenly erupted in her belly again. The tingling heat that built up in her stomach. "Please stop…" She whispered through punctured breaths.

"I can't…" his amber eyes were dark with lust, she knew that look, it was the same look that the other had had in his eyes. "I don't want to…" he whispered to her, bringing her lips back to his. She moaned lightly as his hand slid down her body, his palm brushing her breast lightly. His lips caressed every scar on her face and neck, his hand pulled up her hand and he kissed the scar there as well.

"Please…" she trembled, she didn't know what this feeling was… but for some reason it scared her, it made her want to be far away from Ichigo… she hated it… because she associated it with sex… and she hated sex… because of him… Ichigo broke away and stood up with his back to her.

"I'm sorry…" He said before his hand grabbed his cane and he shuffled into his bathroom.

&&&

Ichigo's family came and went the next week but the only thing he could think about was Rukia and where she was. After the incident the morning of Christmas she had bowed out the door while he watched. He had laughed with his sisters and his father… but it was Rukia he wanted.

He made his way painfully towards the door, wearing his suit pants and a button down shirt, his pea coat pulled over his suit jacket, he had to go in to work… Toshiro had asked him. The detective made his way painfully down the stairs, his body throbbing with pain so bad that he thought he would cry, not something he usually did.

When he arrived at the police station Toshiro looked up and gasp, "Ichigo! If you were still so badly injured why the fuck did you come?" The white haired man rushed to Ichigo's side, helping him into the soft chair nearby.

"I'm not that badly injured!" He panted and Toshiro folded his arms.

"Yeah… and I'm the queen of England…"

"You're not good looking enough…" Ichigo told him and Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you actually came down here!" Toshiro threw his hands up in the air. "Is there anything that can stop you from working?" The white haired young man was angry and Ichigo could tell… but it was his fault for telling him to come in…

"Nope… Listen… it's halfway through January… I think I can come back to work…" Ichigo told him.

"What's that?" Toshiro pointed at Ichigo's cane.

"I use it to walk…"

"Then you're not well enough to work… go home and get some more rest… didn't the doctors tell you to not do anything too strenuous?" Toshiro questioned and Ichigo hung his head, standing up rather painfully and walking out. "I'll call you if we need you!" Toshiro shouted after him. Ichigo slammed his fist into the hallway wall and walked off. Toshiro sighed. "YOU BETTER NOT HAVE BROKEN THE PLASTER!" He shouted after him.

&&&

Ichigo shuffled through his house and walked over to the box on his dresser. He leaned the cane against the oak and picked up the box, slowly shuffling himself across to the bed. He sat down with a painful grunt and opened the box.

Inside were letters, pictures, a piece of lace… and several other things… all things he had kept from being overseas. Then there it was, all the way at the bottom, a small black box. It had been bought cheap when he was in Asia for a time and he had brought it home, not knowing its worth. He opened the little box and the item inside sparkled in his eyes. It was a silver ring, with nine diamonds set in it. Three princess cut diamonds were set up above the others, the middle one being the largest and set slightly above the others, three on either side were set a little further down in the silver… he had bought it as a trinket for his sister, but on a whim he had taken it to a jeweler to have it reset for her, in a smaller ring, that was when the jeweler had told him, the diamonds set in it weren't man made diamonds… they were diamonds that had been dug out of the mines in Africa. Ichigo had blinked, not realizing that without knowing it, he had made an expensive investment for little to nothing.

When he had asked how much it was worth the answer that he was given was not one that he expected. The jeweler told him that the diamonds themselves were worth, all together, nearly a million dollars… at the time… now the ring was worth more. However… Ichigo had kept it, for some reason or another, and he now knew what he was going to do with it. He took it out of the box and slipped it onto a chain around his neck, from now on he would carry it with him.

&&&

"Sarah… could you get me…" She stopped and stared. Her brother sat at her desk again. "BYAKUYA!" She jumped into his arms.

"I heard about what happened to you!" He wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I know… isn't it horrible! I mean! To loose a client like that!" She shook her head.

"Not that…" Byakuya frowned down at her and she looked up into his eyes.

"Nothing happened other than that Byakuya…" She looked up at him again.

"Oh really… you wanna explain this then?" Byakuya tossed her a newspaper from a few months before. It was the picture of her talking about what had happened at the grocer. "I want you to stay away from him."

"No problem… he'll probably never see me again anyways…" but some how, her saying this made her sad… why did it make her sad?

"Good, if you do happen to encounter him… do not speak to him again… do you understand me?" Byakuya said sternly and she nodded.

"You wanna get some dinner?" She looked up at him but her eyes were sad… she missed hearing his voice.

&&&

He hummed in his sleep. She would always remember that, it was rather flat and tuneless… but it was comforting and rather lulling. He had slept there all night with her in his arms… how uncomfortable it must have been for him! Everything she did was an endangerment to him. It was like… just because she was around him he would get hurt… she didn't know why but she was a curse to him.

Or was he a curse to her? She wondered this as she lay in bed. She wondered what had happened to her… since she had met him… she had felt something… something was stirring inside her… and that something wasn't anything good.

He just wanted sex. That was what she had decided. She hated sex… it was the worse thing that God had ever given the humans the ability to do. It was rough and ugly to her, it was a horrible thing that caused pain. Of course men would take advantage of it, because it didn't hurt them… they could get pleasure out of any woman… they didn't care about whether the woman was comfortable or not.

So why did she want him to touch her? She couldn't get past this undeniable fact, the day that she had broken her own limits was also the day that she realized that she wanted him… to touch her.

But sex is ugly… she shuddered, he would be like the other, he would be rough and uncaring. He had already shown that through his shattering of her personal space through those kisses he had place on her neck.

It was that time that made her skin tingle. Those kisses still tingled on her neck and shoulder, and she didn't like it… she hated it in fact… but for some reason they stayed there like oil on ones skin.

He made her feel things she'd never felt before. He could make her feel sad, happy and angry all at the same time. She had never felt such a mixed set of emotions. But he could also make her moan like she never had before… those kisses.

Kisses. His kisses drove her up the wall, building the foreign feeling up inside her. It was beyond the warmth that she had gotten when she kissed Kaien… it was much more powerful… but she couldn't identify it.

Those dreams. She had never had dreams quite like that. Most people have normal dreams… she usually had dreams about her family and unfortunately, the dreams of her rape… but sometimes she would dream about orange hair and amber eyes, those beautiful amber eyes that drifted through her mind. It was from those dreams that she would wake up covered in sweat, tangled in her sheets, a burning flame built up within her belly.

His eyes. Those eyes… she couldn't get them out of her head… he had the eyes of a god, the most beautiful eyes that she had ever seen, even Kaien's eyes couldn't match up to the exotic ocher of Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes.

His body… oh how her fingers longed to drag themselves across his body again… she shuddered slightly, but he was built better than the other, his body was beautiful to her, if beautiful was a good word… she remember the time she had walked in on him. Jesus… seeing him in all his glory was something that she hadn't expected… but for some reason it had built the blaze a little higher.

His attitude, he was so weird about things… he was lazy and rather sloppy but when it came to his work he was sharp and calculating. The way he handle that gun away simply amazing and she wasn't used to it. The look in those stunning eyes… that deadly gleam that sent fear down her spine.

Why was she thinking about him so much? She buried her face into her pillow and tried to think about something other than the detective with the sexy smirk. His accent rang in her ears and she thought she was going to gouge her eyes out.

I'm falling for him.

&&&

Ichigo stumbled through the store, he was definitely doing better now, on Valentine's Day he was going out to the store to buy something for his dinner, however he paused as he walked in. He saw that familiar saunter, the sashay that he recognized all too well. He got the feeling that he was glad he had two guns with him. He followed her silently then walked back through, deciding to wait until she walked out to talk to her.

He heard someone stumbled and turned around. "Damn you Ichigo…" He heard her mutter under her breath. Something dropped and again. "Damn it! Ichigo it's all your FAULT!" She kicked the can and walked out then froze, looking over at the detective that stood in front of her. "Ichigo…" she breathed. She hadn't seen him in nearly a month and a half… yet here he was in front of her… why? She believed it was fate.

"What did I do?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Can I get a ride?" He smiled at her, she was surprised to see him still with his cane.

"Can't you walk?" She asked him softly and he shook his head.

"All the way to my apartment?" He motioned the cane in the direction of his apartment. "And why should I have to waste money on a taxi when I have you within my grasp?" He smiled at her and she frowned.

"So what do I look like now, your personal taxi service?" She asked as they got into her car. But secretly she was pleased that he wanted her to take him home. She didn't know why but she was happy that he relied on her for something.

&&&

He helped her out of the car as they laughed, he felt the hair on the back of his neck tingle and he heard a click. Why? Why was it always with her!? "GET BEHIND ME!" He shouted and shoved her back, pulling out the two guns, one from his shoulder holster and the other from his hip and his jacket whipped in the air as he dropped on one knee as gunfire rained down on them.

"There you are…" He muttered and fired up at the shooter, he heard a yelp and the gun fire stopped. "STAY HERE!" He jumped up the ladder and dragged himself up and took off after the injured gunner. _'I have to protect her…'_ He keep going despite the cover fire from apparently another shooter. _'I will protect her…' _her face flashed through his mind and he pulled his arms up, firing as he ran towards the gunner. A bullet ripped through his chest, near the wound from before and another tore through the muscles in his left thigh but he simply kept going as another scraped his cheek and shoulder.

"I'M GOING TO PROTECT HER!" He released both clips and easily put in another set and jumped over the side of the building at the two retreating backs.

"May god have mercy on your SOULS!" The detective suddenly took a blow to the chest with a baseball bat and he fell backwards, the guns scuttling across the ground.

"Good… now we've got you…" A gun was pointed at his face and he felt his eyes darken… he had failed… how could he have failed. Then gunshots rang in his ears. _'RUKIA!'_ he felt tears well up in his eyes.

'_Looks like… I never did get to ask her…'_ his eyes dimmed further and his breathing became shallow but not before he saw it. He saw a bullet zoom above him and the man's grey matter came out the back of his head. More gun fire and everything went black in his world.

&&&

Yeah… poor Ichigo… so is the orange haired lunk every going to stop getting injured? Have I killed him this time? Am I really that cruel?

YES!

Shalan


	10. You Dunno Whatcha Got 'Til It's Gone

**Chapter: **You Dunno Whatcha Got 'til Its Gone

**Shalan's Song: **LA LALAAAAA! glass breaks It's looks at clock SIX FREAKIN' THIRTY (That's like… 4:30 Pacific, 5:30 mountain… and 7:30 eastern… oh well… THAT ONES NOT SO BAAD! Do you SEE the dedication? I am DEDICATED you getting you guys a chapter each day! SO! HELP THE POOR SLEEP DEPRIVED GIRL! Give her some reviews Xx

&&&

She sat patiently by his bedside, her hands gripped around his right hand. The young detective had every machine possible in his body she had decided. What did she get out of it? She shook her head. A clipped left shoulder. That was it. In the meantime Ichigo had suffered any number of traumas. The force from the bullet that had torn through his lung had reopened the old wound, causing severe blood loss and the seven broken ribs… she choked lightly, he had gone through a brutal beating… and it was all her fault.

"How is he?" She looked up as Uryu walked in, a bouquet of white lilies in his arms. Shortly thereafter he was joined by his wife, who immediately walked over to Rukia and gripped her shoulder.

"He's still comatose. His wounds are healing… fairly rapidly… the doctors say his will to stay alive is amazing…" Rukia felt tears in her eyes and her thumbs gently massaged the back of his hand. "His neck has almost completely healed from the break and his lung is functioning again."

"That's good…" Uryu looked down as he set the vase of flowers down next to the others. He smiled slightly, white lilies were Icihgo's mother's favorite… so when he had seen them he had bought them on contact.

"Yeah… yeah it is…" She choked and Kazumi knelt down next to her chair, Rukia leaned into her and pressed her face to her shoulder. "He's going to wake up right?" She whispered and Kazumi nodded.

"Of course he is… He's the invincible Ichigo Kurosaki… he's always going to come through whatever life throws at him…" She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl.

"What if it wasn't life that threw it at him?" Rukia asked with a slight laugh. Uryu snorted slightly and folded his arms, leaning against the wall.

"I'm sure Ichigo'll be alright… I mean… he's Ichigo for crying out loud. The guy's been through a freakin' war!" Uryu nearly threw his hands into the air. "Did he ever tell you how he saved his partner over there?"

"No… he didn't really talk to me much…" She realized this, she didn't know much about him. She wondered if she ever would.

"His partner and he didn't get along very well in High School so when they ended up going to war together they hated it. One day, his partner was an idiot and decided to move a little closer to the action… his partner was hit with six bullets. Ichigo jumped out from behind his barrier and grabbed his partner, the man he hated, and pulled his ass back behind the barrier, taking a bullet to his thigh as he did, making it hard to walk… he threw his partner back behind the wall then dragged himself over…" Uryu's eyes were nostalgic. "From that day forward… his partner trusted him, knowing that if he was that good about protecting his enemies… he would sure as hell go to any lengths to save a friend…" Uryu smiled over at her.

"You sound like you know this guy…" Rukia smiled slightly and he nodded.

"I know him very well… the wounds still hurt from time to time… I think they always will…" Uryu rubbed his shoulder lightly and Rukia choked on a laugh.

"So you're sure he'll come through?" She whispered.

"Yeah… Ichigo has never faced a challenge with defeat… he's gonna run right through it whether it wants him to or not… just be careful… he's a dangerous person to fall for…" Uruy folded his arms.

"What? Why are you telling me that? I'm not falling for him!" She protested. "He's a man! Men are horrible… he's just a friend of mine… and he's saved my life quite a few times!"

"Just a friend…" Uryu looked off to the side and Kazumi chuckled.

"A friend with benefits?" The red head suggested.

"Get out! Both of you!" Her face flushed the lawyer pointed to the door. The two laughed and ducked out.

"Call me if anything changes!" Uryu called and she huffed.

HOW DARE THEY TELL HER SHE WAS FALLING FOR HIM! She was frustrated, angry… and worried. Her hands gently rubbed his, trying to get him to wake up. 'DAMN IT KUROSAKI! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! WHY THE HELL ARE THEY SHOOTING AT ME??' Her mind screamed.

"Don't do this to me…" She rested her forehead against his arm.

&&&

A man walked purposefully towards one of the high rise business offices, his shiny black shoes clicking slightly on the tile floors. He stepped into the office he was looking for and walked past the secretary.

"Mr. Van Horn! You can't go…" She protested and he slammed open the door, his red eyes alight with anger. The handsome brunette that sat at the desk looked up from his cigarette.

"Now you've got some explaining to do!" He slammed the door behind him.

"I've? What about you?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"Now you listen to me Aizen… You leave the girl alone, she's mine… she's not a part of the agreement…" The white haired man slammed his hand down on the desk.

"I will do with her what I want…" Aizen smiled, his brown hair was slicked back from his face and his glasses sat on the desk. He let a smile play across his lips and flicked the cigarette at Ichimaru's feet. "I like her… she's got something about her that makes me tingle…" He touched his fingers together.

"You're a bastard… you made me a deal… I got the girl and you got the detective… you know he knows more than he's saying…"

"I'm thinking about making her my next victim… I've been looking for one with her powerful of a heart…" He smiled over at a door hidden in the wall. Ichimaru followed his eye line and saw what he was looking at.

"You're sick… very sick…"

"Her brother will give her to me… I know he will… a merger between our two businesses… the Sony corporation has been drooling over our products for years… I'll just have him give her to me and we'll cement the union."

"Can you get away with that?" Gin sat down as his cohort picked up the phone.

"Get me Kuchiki Byakuya…" The corporation owner smiled over at Ichimaru whose almost unfathomable smile faded slightly. "Thank you Momo…"

"You aren't playing fair…"

"I don't feel like playing fair… I will kill him… if he exposes me… my career is over… both of them…" He smiled softly.

"Yeah…" Gin looked out the window.

&&&

Rukia held a cool cloth on Ichigo's heated forehead, she had been keeping him cool so that his fever would hopefully break, but every time she would place a cool cloth on his face it would be gone within seconds. Then something happened that she was not expecting, for the first time since she had been there his hand gently squeezed hers.

"Ichigo?" She gasped lightly and looked into his open amber eyes. He tilted his head slightly in a nod. "Oh thank god…" She pressed her face into his neck, nuzzling her nose against his cheek. "Thank god…" Tears welled up in her eyes. His hand that she hand been holding lifted up and tenderly traced the side of her face.

"Am I alive? Cause the only place you would be is in heaven…" Their lips met in the most tender of kisses, his hand holding her in place as they kissed. "I'm sorry…" he whispered softly between kisses and she shook her head, tears dripping down her cheeks and across her lips. He kissed the line of tears, tangling his fingertips in her hair.

"You… don't…" She heard him shush her and their lips met again, her tears mingling between her lips, giving them a bittersweet taste.

"Stop talking…" He laughed as she pressed their foreheads together, their noses touched and their lips followed after.

"Ichigo…" She breathed softly and he paused, pulling away to look into her eyes, amber meeting tearful azure.

"Yeah?" He rasped lightly his calloused hand dragging down the side of her face.

"There's… something…" Her eyes flitted down towards his feet and he looked at her then gripped her face a little tighter, turning her face toward his.

"What?" His amber eyes searched her indigo and she looked down slightly and he pulled her back up again.

"When you fell back… on the building…" she chewed the inside of her cheek. "No… now's not the right time…" her eyes filled with tears.

"Rukia damn it… just come right out and say it!" He pushed himself to raise his voice.

"They think you might be paralyzed…" she whispered and his eyes opened wide as he dropped back onto his back. "I mean… it's not for sure and they say that if you can move your toes and feet then you'll walk again."

"Kill me."

"What?" Her voice sounded panicked and she felt her airway slam shut.

"I'm of no use to anyone in a wheelchair for the rest of my life…" He looked away from her.

"Ichigo! Didn't you hear me?" She turned his head back and this time his eyes were filled with tears.

"They always say that… it's not true…" he felt his heart break as tears welled up in her eyes.

"No! You'd be use to me…" Her hand tenderly brushed the side of his face.

"No I wouldn't Kuchiki… I'd just be a burden…" his eyes dimmed, he didn't want to be more of a burden on her that he already was.

"You could never be a burden to me…" Her angelic voice spoke to him and he looked over, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Rukia…" His baritone rumbled in his chest like a lion's purr… she almost felt herself begin to cry again. If he was gone from the earth… the last good man would have died.

"Ichigo… you are not going to do this to me… I will keep you alive… do you understand me?" Her face pressed into his neck and he cradled her head with his good hand.

"What if I'm in a wheelchair for the rest of my life?" He whispered and she looked over.

"You won't be… I have faith…" She smiled and he felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Thank you Rukia…" He whispered softly, his hand cupping the side of her face.

&&&


	11. Don't Really Care Which Side Wins

**NOTE: KEEP HANGING IN THERE! THIS IS NOT THE END! IN FACT IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING! I HAVE A TON MORE CHAPTERS PLANNED!**

**Chapter: **Don't Really Care Which Side Wins

**Shalan's Woohoo: **I have tons of energy so I decided to post another chapter today! XDDDD problem is… is that I think… I'm not going to update this story for a while… afterwards… I need some time to think… so expected a new chapter sometime… on… maybe **Tuesday**… so anyways… gotta tell you guys a funny story… I was reading (I know it's a sin… I never get anything done when I'm reading) and I was thinking (that's a bad thing) about this story… and I think it's… my best story ever… cause I can keep this one going… XDDDD I know I can… because I like it… XDDD Read and REVIIEWW! The reviews are like sleep to me! Keep me awake and writing.

Anyways… chew on this honker of a chapter and you may want to reread it because there are lost of little things you'll have to remember for later chapters… as well as a few characters! I thought I'd give you something to remember me by since you'll all forget about me by Tuesday! XDD

&&&

"Byakuya Kuchiki," the Sony executive answered his phone.

"Byakuya!" He heard the sound of one of the opposing companies' voice.

"Hello Souske…" He greeted, chewing on the inside of his lip.

"I have a proposition for you…" Byakuya smiled slightly he wondered if maybe… this was going where he wanted it to go…

"What's that?" Byakuya looked a piece of paper uninterestedly, "I'm a very busy man."

"Yeah…and so am I, so how about we be busy together?" Aizen asked and Byakuya grinned slightly.

"I'd have to think about that and have a lawyer work it out… you want to call a meeting about it? I'll talk to my boss."

"But there's a catch, in order to cement the bonds between our two companies… I believe there needs to be a marriage…" Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Really… yes… perhaps…" Byakuya thought about this, if Rukia married Aizen… he would never have to worry about her health or her well being. She would be treated magnificently, with enough money to last her a lifetime… and she would have a good blooded husband.

"So do I hear wedding bells?" Aizen grinned into the phone and Byakuya was silent.

"I suppose I would have to speak with her… but… I'm sure she'll agree…" At least he wouldn't have to worry about her being around that dumb ass detective.

"Good… good…" Aizen smiled over at Gin who stared at him with amazement, the smooth talking corporation owner had just made a deal with Byakuya Kuchiki for his sister.

&&&

The blonde relaxed on his sofa, a yawn taking over him as tears filled his eyes slightly then disappeared. He stretched out again, like a cat stretching luxuriously on a hot day. His phone rang and he looked at it. "hhmmm… Shall I answer it?" He asked himself curiously. "Naaaahh…" He rolled over and curled his arm under his head.

"KISUKE URAHARA ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONE!" Byakuya Kuchiki's voice thundered over the answering machine speaker. Kisuke jumped and grabbed the phone.

"Kisuke here, how can I help you?"

"Surprised that I called?" He asked

"If I would have woken up this morning with my head sewn to the floor I wouldn't have been more surprised than I am right now…" Urahara quipped and he heard a scoff from the other line.

"I have a job for you…" Kisuke nodded slightly.

"Whaaaat? Does it have anything to do with me escorting your beautiful sister to her new husband's house?" Urahara grinned.

"How do you…"

"I am Kisuke Urahara! I know everything…"

"How's that?"

"I'm an evil genius…"

"That's a load of bull shit if I've ever heard one…" A dark chuckle came over the line.

"Thank you! Anyways… sure I'll do it… am I a part of the deal?" Urahara blinked over at the beautiful woman that had just walked down the stairs.

"Urahara stop drooling over Shihounen and talk to me…" Kisuke whimpered but grinned as he received a kiss from her.

"Yeah…" He chuckled.

"I want you to go with her as something of an escort for a while… and you'll be our eye on Aizen to make sure he doesn't pull any dirty tricks… please be good…"

"Me? I'm always good!" Urahara grinned into the phone.

"Urahara…" he warned and Kisuke laughed.

"Alright Mr. High and Mighty… don't get your panties in a bundle," he said as he brushed his teeth.

"Are you brushing your teeth on the phone?" Byakuya sounded disgruntled.

"Yes… yes I am… how perceptive of you…" Urahara chuckled.

"You need to go to DC and get her… she should be in the hospital there… I don't remember which room the man she's staying with is in… but you should be able to find her easily."

"Alrighty! One fixer upper right away!"

"Urahara… charge everything to the company… don't even think of using your own money and demanding payment…"

"Alright… now stop giving me commands… I'll go get your sister…" He hung up the phone as he walked into the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" Yoruichi blinked over at him and he grinned.

"I get to go get Miss Kuchiki…" He smiled over his cup of coffee.

&&&

Ichigo was now sitting up in bed, he had recovered greatly in the past few weeks, and he had been home for several of them.

"Calm down!" She told him and he chuckled, he had been teasing her lately over he being so slow, as he was still unable to walk, much less move his legs so she had to help him everywhere.

"I can't get myself up yet…" He complained from the bed as she pulled his good arm over her shoulder and pulled him into the wheelchair. He was happy that she was so willing to take care of him but he felt horrible for making her take care of him… he was happy though that she was still too shy to see him undressed which was another thing he had to bee thankful for… though it was extremely difficult to dress himself he succeeded day after day… of course… he wouldn't have had her help him anyways…

"I know I know… stop being such a big baby," she laughed and wheeled him out of the room into the kitchen.

"Woo! I love not having to walk everywhere! I can get fat and no one's gonna care!" He laughed as she wheeled him over to the table.

"You're horrible…" She told him and he chuckled. A knock came at the door and she walked over, opening the front door to the apartment. She gasped and Urahara smiled.

"Hello beautiful…" He grinned and she jumped into his arms.

"KISUKE!" She laughed as he swung her around.

"So is this everyone favorite cripple?" Kisuke walked in as Ichigo wheeled himself over with a contemplating look. He couldn't figure out who this guy was.

"Yeah… most people call me Ichigo… or Kurosaki depending…" He offered his hand as he looked over at Rukia.

"Good! My name's Kisuke Urahara… I'm here to take your nurse away from you…" He shook Ichigo's hand. Ichigo was somewhat surprised at the powerful grip the man had.

"You're what?" Rukia looked over at him.

"Why don't you make me a cup of tea before I tell you anything…" Kisuke grinned and she walked off, Ichigo's amber eyes were fixated on him and Kisuke continued smiling under the detective's usually intimidating glare.

&&&

"So… how is your brilliant plan going?" Gin walked in with a piece of chocolate in hand. Aizen was on the phone as Ichimaru walked in and he waved at him to shut the door.

"Fine… Fine… that'll work… thank you." He hung up. "Great… the meeting went well this morning and the wedding should be in six months…" He grinned and Gin waved his hand in front of his own face.

"I smell something fishy."

"Yeah… in order to keep an eye on me he's sending Kisuke Urahara with her… but he should be gone after a year."

"That's good… gives you some time to cover your trail… are you still going to knock the other off?" Gin grinned at him and Aizen folded his arms.

"Of course I'm going to… I can't have him in my way… he's too much of a distraction for my future wife…" His grin suddenly became malicious. "I'm going to get quite a few things out of this aren't I?"

"I guess so… maybe you should be more careful…" Gin lifted an eyebrow, setting his feet up on Aizen's desk.

"Yeah… I know what you mean… I'm going to take a break for a while… lull them all into a continuous sense of security."

"Yeah… then WHAM… right?" Gin snapped his fingers and Aizen nodded.

"But until then… I'm going to have my wife… I'm going to be married…" He grinned.

"Yeah! You're going to be the worst husband a woman could have!" Gin received a pen in the face for his comment.

"Keep your mouth shut, I have to be nice to her for a while so her brother doesn't get suspicious…" He folded his arms across his chest.

&&&

_**I am an arms dealer**_

_**Fitting you with weapons in the form of words**_

_**And don't really care which side wins**_

_**As long as the room keeps singing**_

_**That's just the business I'm in**_

Kisuke Urahara, the famous dealer in anything out of the ordinary. Rukia eyed him as he sat across from Ichigo, talking about the latest cases. He knew everything there was to know about anything. She knew it too, he had home schooled her when she was a little girl. There wasn't anything the man didn't know how to do… and boy was he in the business. He was wanted by every company and every gang in the world, but he remained loyal to one family and one family alone, the Kuchikis, they had picked him when he was a child and raised him as one of their own children, even though at that they still didn't have very much. It was he and Byakuya who worked their ways up.

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**I'm not a shoulder to cry on**_

_**But, I digress**_

"So what are you saying? That you're taking her from me?" Ichigo folded his arms as Rukia sat down a cup of tea before them both. Ichigo's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back towards him possessively.

"Yes… That's exactly what I'm telling you." He grinned as he took a sip from the tea. "Ah… wonderful… you will make a perfect wife…"

"Wife? You don't mean…" Her eyes bored into his and he shrugged.

"Look I'm just here on orders from your brother… he told me to come and bring you back to New York for your wedding…" He waved at her off handedly.

"Who am I marrying?" Her eyes were wide with anger and Ichigo let go of her. "Kisuke! WHO AM I MARRYING?"

_**I'm a leading man**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

"I honestly don't know… Byakuya didn't tell me that much honey," Kisuke sounded apoplectic which surprised her.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know?" She folded her arms and leaned back against Ichigo's arm and he smiled lightly.

"I mean what I said… I'm telling you that Byakuya didn't tell me who you're marrying sweetie…" He sipped the tea. "Now listen… I'm not happy with him either but that doesn't mean you need to go off your rocket…" He watched as her physique changed and suddenly she went from the usually composed and together Rukia to the 'I'm so angry that you're going to die by my hands' Rukia.

_**I'm a leading man**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

"BYAKUYA!" The heard her shout from the other room and Kisuke smiled into his mug.

"You set this up didn't you?" Ichigo folded his arms.

"No… not really… Byakuya set it in motion and it's my job to do what he tells me to do…"

"So you're a brainless grunt?" Ichigo lifted an eyebrow.

"Not so much… I'm something like a hit man, a detective, an arms dealer, a transporter, a body guard, and a scholar all rolled into one…" he smiled.

"So you're a jack of all trades that works for Sony…" Ichigo lifted an eyebrow, it was men like this that the police department had trouble catching.

"Yeah… something like that…" He grinned.

_**I wrote the gospel on giving up**_

_**(You look pretty sinking)**_

_**But the real bombshells have already sunk**_

_**(Prima-donnas of the gutter)**_

_**At night we're painting your trash gold while you sleep**_

_**Crashing not like hips or cars,**_

_**No, more like parties**_

"How could you do this to me?" She asked into her cell phone and her brother went silent.

"Rukia it's for your own good." He replied.

"FOR MY OWN GOOD? WHAT GOOD IS THAT GOING TO DO ME?" She screamed into the phone.

"Listen, Aizen can make your life brilliant! You can live in luxury for the rest of your life…" He told her and she leaned back against the wall…

"I don't want to live in luxury…" she felt tears well up in her eyes. _'I want to live with Ichigo… the middle class detective with a street class attitude…' _the man that she knew she was falling for.

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**Bandwagon's full**_

_**Please, catch another**_

Aizen folded his arms across his chest and looked out the window of his office, everything was going well… he couldn't believe how well things were going, the only hitch in his plan was Urahara… if he was around he couldn't do what he wanted… so he reached over and picked up the phone as it rang.

"Take him down…" He said into the receiver and heard a laugh from the other end. "But wait until after the wedding, he'll suspect something anytime before that." And he heard a yes from the other line.

Yes… everything was going as planned…

_**I'm a leading man**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate **_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

"Fine… I'll do it Byakuya…" She closed her eyes as he convinced her. But he couldn't convince her heart. He couldn't convince her heart worth a damn.

"Thank you honey, I'm only thinking about your safety and your health in the future, you have a much better future with Aizen than with that detective…" Those words bit her hard in the heart, she should be happy about this… she wouldn't be shot at anymore…

_**I'm a leading man**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

Ichigo laughed softly under his breath. "And I told him that I wouldn't have been more surprised if I had woken up with my head sewn to the floor!" He laughed and Ichigo shook his head.

"You are one weird guy… so do you have a wife?" He lifted his eyebrow.

"No… I have a… friend with benefits…" He smiled slightly.

"Ooh… a friend with benefits…" Ichigo lifted his eyebrows up completely.

"Yeah… something like that."

"I never thought a jack of all trades had a fuck buddy…" Ichigo chuckled.

"I _am_ a jack of _all_ trades," Kisuke produced an emphasis with his hand and Ichigo laughed again. He wasn't kidding.

_**All the boys who the dance floor didn't love**_

_**And the girls who's lips couldn't move fast enough**_

_**Sing, until your lungs give out**_

Byakuya hung up the phone and leaned back, he was doing what was best for her wasn't he? He looked at the picture of himself and his sister and traced a finger down the glass lovingly. "I just want you to be comfortable… with him you won't even have to work anymore…" Byakuya smiled lightly… he didn't trust Aizen as far as he could throw him… but he knew he couldn't do anything with Kisuke around.

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**This ain't a scene, it**__**'s a go**__**d damn arms race**_

_**(Now you)**_

_**This ain't a Scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**(Wear out the groove)**_

_**This ain't a Scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**(Sing out loud)**_

_**This ain't a Scene, it**__**'s a god damn arms race**_

_**(Oh, oh)**_

_**This ain't a Scene, it's a god damn arms race**_

"Ichigo…" He heard a sad voice from behind him and he swung around disappearing with his wheelchair into the other room and Kisuke grinned evilly, for some reason it delighted him the pain that this detective was going through… he never was one for being evil but… for some reason he knew it would only make him stronger… and that was always a good thing. To be honest he wanted Ichigo to win her back… he wanted to see an action and adventure film play out right before his eyes.

"Aah… young love…" He smiled, he knew that the lies he was telling for his boss were good lies… and boy were they tangled up now.

_**I'm a leading man**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate **_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

"I have to do what he says Ichigo!" She looked at him and he folded his hands in his lap.

"I don't want you to go like this…" He whispered to her and she nodded, putting her hand on the side of his face.

"I don't want to go like this… there's so much left unsaid between us…" her blue eyes were deep and beautiful and he wanted to lock this into his mind for the rest of his life.

_**I'm a leading man**_

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

_"Thanks for the memories…" He whispered as their lips met once more in a beautifully searing kiss that had her knees buckling under her, to think that he could make her feel this way… even with the way he was. "Thanks for the help…" His lips met hers again and they both soon found themselves crying as their lips met again and again. They breathed each other's breath like oxygen in the millimeters between their lips between each kiss. They were both intoxicated by the other's presence._

"Good bye…" She whispered as she stood outside the apartment building next to Urahara. Her took her elbow gently and their eyes locked together from the second story window where he sat, looking out at her. 'I love you…' She thought as Urahara pulled her towards the car with a grin.

"Don't worry… you're life will be better when you're with Aizen…"

_**And the lies I weave are oh-so intricate**_

&&&

She walked slowly down the aisle, the huge wedding around her silent. Her brother held onto her arm tightly and she touched her heart slightly as she felt it break slowly but surely as they walked down the aisle.

_**I miss you miss you**_

_"I want you to keep this…" He put a chain around her neck, it was a beautiful silver chain with a silver ring set with diamonds on it. "Wear it where ever you go and think about me… whenever you touch it…" His fingers brushed her skin._

_"Ichigo… I…" His fingers brushed her lips._

_"Hush… everything will be alright… just don't forget me… because some day I'm going to come charging back into your life… because I love you…" Her tears cascaded down her face as she dove into him, his arms wrapping around her tightly. "I love you so much…" He kissed the top of her head as he cried silently with her._

_**Hello there the angel from my nightmare**_

_**The shadow in background of the morgue**_

_**The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley**_

_**We can live like Jack and Sally if we want**_

She walked past her friends and what was left of their family, past Kisuke and Toshiro and Uryu, past Kazumi and Yoruichi… past her life… she was walking away from her life… and everything that her life meant to her… she was leaving everything behind her.

_**Where you can always find me**_

_**And we'll have Halloween on Christmas**_

_**And in the night we'll wish this never ends **_

_**We'll wish this never end**_

_"I promise I'll come back to you… I'll die before I let this be the end of us…" He whispered into her hair, his tears dripped down his face and onto her hair as she lifted her head up, their lips meeting again for another bittersweet kiss. His hands gripped her head as he leaned forward, never wanting the kiss to end._

_**Where are you and I'm so sorry**_

_**I cannot sleep I cannot dream tonight**_

_**I need somebody and always**_

_**This sick strange darkness comes creeping on so haunting every time**_

_**And as I stared I counted the webs from all the spiders**_

_**catching things and eating their insides**_

The months passed quickly after that, she was surrounded by men and women she didn't know, she was interviewed about her wedding, she made plans about the wedding… she had to work on everything. She hated her husband, she had already decided this, she associated him with the man who had raped her… with the men that were on the other side of the spectrum from Ichigo. But Ichigo was always in her thoughts, she couldn't get him away from her… she wanted to make her brother happy, but breaking her own heart was what it took to please him… the man who had made her life so happy by working so hard and taking care of her.

_**Like indecision to call you**_

_**And hear your voice of treason**_

_**Will you come home and stop this pain tonight**_

_**stop this pain tonight**_

The wedding date had come quickly, so quickly that she couldn't believe it… it was as though… her life had just flashed by her while she stood still and now she was wishing she would have just stayed with Ichigo… he would have protected her from her own brother… hell… he would follow her into a guillotine if he thought she was in danger.

_**Don't waste your time on me your already the voice inside my head**_

_**I miss you miss you**_

Ichigo sat on the pew, his hands folded in his lap, his black suit was neat and tailored, his trusty cane in his hand. It had taken him nearly 6 months to regain his ability to walk and had taken him three more months to get back up to where he had once been… and he was still fairly weak. The rest of his wounds had healed completely, except for one… and as his eyes followed the angel in white the wound became larger.

_**Don't waste your time on me your already the voice inside my head**_

_**I miss you miss you**_

'Ichigo…' She turned her head to the side and saw him, that beautiful mess of orange hair and tanned skin. His ocher eyes were trained on her and she smiled, a single tear running down her face.

_**Don't waste your time on me your already the voice inside my head**_

_**I miss you miss you**_

Ichigo looked away, maybe… her brother was right… she would be better off with this Aizen fellow… but that wasn't going to stop him now… his eyes fell upon the man that was marrying the love of his life… there was no way this man was going to stop him from getting her back.

_**Don't waste your time on me your already the voice inside my head**_

_**I miss you miss you**_

As they reached the altar Byakuya lifted Rukia's veil, kissing her lightly. "Thank you for doing this."

"And who gives away this woman to marriage?" The preist asked.

"I do, Byakuya Kuchiki, her brother…" He felt tears prick at the back of his eyes. His parents would have thought she was beautiful. He almost didn't let go of her, and for a second he thought about telling her to go to him… to go to the man he hated… just to keep her from crying.

_**Don't waste your time on me your already the voice inside my head**_

_**I miss you miss you**_

"Thank you… brother…" She told him through choked tears… her eyes remained on Ichigo the entire service, she refused to look at her future husband, she stare at Ichigo and when she said I do… she was looking at him.

_**Don't waste your time on me your already the voice inside my head**_

_**I miss you miss you**_

_**&&&**_

CHEW ON THAT CUD FOR A WHILE! THAT WAS A FREAKIN' LONG CHAPTER! I HAVEN'T WRITTEN A CHAPTER THAT LONG IN LIKE FOREVER!

Hope you like it…

Just incase:

First song was Urahara's song:

This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

Fall Out Boy

Second was one of my favorite songs:

I Miss You

Blink 182

Yeah… I don't own either of these songs or any of the songs I ever use… but uhm… not gonna post anything else until Tuesday I'm thinking because after this chapter… I'm just plum outta juice! XDDDD of course… I might have another chapter written alright… (which I do)

But I like you all too much to give it to you!

XD

Review me and I'll consider giving it to you!

Shalan


	12. Thanks For The Memories

**Chapter: **Thanks For The Memories

**Shalan's Say: **I have no self control… I had to post this… I'm sorry guys… I let you down… and I lied… _cries_… please forgive me!!! I love you all… tell me if you forgive me or not in your reviews _wink_

**YAY! LEMONISH THING! I WARNED YOU!**

&&&

The new Mrs. Aizen hated her life; she hated it with a passion. She wanted to kill herself every time she thought about it. But then she would feel the ring on her skin and her courage was revived, he was out there, waiting for her… she knew he was. She wanted him to come save her, she was wilting away inside the huge mansion she now owned. She was making her brother happy she thought… but when he came to visit her… he looked sad. She didn't understand it… the only way… she could keep smiling… and keep moving on was Ichigo, his memories… his love… his presence in her mind.

"How are you doing this morning lovely?" Kisuke poked his head into her room. Rukia sat in her large bed, her dainty hands fingering the ring around her neck fondly. She looked up and quickly hid the ring in her nightshirt. "Oh come now… like I don't know what that is…" Kisuke smiled as he walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Kisuke… you're the only friendly face I have left in this world…" She smiled as he sat down next to her on the bed. "And don't get your dirty feet on my good comforter.

"When was the last time you washed this thing?" He questioned and a beeping could be heard from a drawer in the bedside table. Rukia blinked and pulled the drawer open. The box that she put her random trinkets in was beeping… like it had a text message… then she remembered.

"_There are 15 miles between us and Washington… it shouldn't be too bad of a drive for me from time to time. We will communicate only by text messages unless absolutely necessary." He handed her a white SideKick and she looked down at it. "My number's already programmed into it… if anything happens use this to contact me…" He motioned to it. "I have one as well…"_

_"So can't I use my old cell phone?"_

_"Sure… but don't tell anyone where we are on the phone…"_

"Ichigo…" She whispered and opened the box, pulling out the white cell phone. It read one text message from Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Have you been using that to talk to him?" Kisuke asked and she shook her head.

"I'd forgotten I had it…" She slid open the screen and opened the message. _'I jst fnd ths… wndring how ur doing…'_ She smiled down at it and her fingers flowed across the keypad.

"He's so weird…" Kisuke laughed. "To think that he'd text you behind enemy lines…" He chuckled.

"Yeah… he is weird…" Kisuke watched her play with the necklace around her neck. She put the phone on vibrate and slipped it into her purse a little ways away. "You've got a visitor today… in the form of Renji Abarai… do you want me to tell him to come in or stay outside?"

"Tell him to come in…" She jumped out of bed, suddenly beaming. He grinned at her, so just that one little contact from Kurosaki made her ecstatic… he chuckled. She was the strangest person he knew.

&&&

"Hey baby!" Renji kissed her on the cheek and she smiled up at him. He was surprised to see her in a plain white dress; that was quite beautiful but very simple. She had a blue obi sash around her waist.

"How are you doing?" She smiled at him as he hooked an arm around her waist. She led him out into the sprawling gardens, guiding him through one of the paths.

"I'm alright… I'm happy…" She smiled and thought about Ichigo, his amber eyes flitted across her mind and she almost teared up.

"That's a lie if I've ever heard one…" Renji smiled and pulled her hip closer to his. "I never thought you would ever be Rukia Aizen." He smiled down at her.

"Yeah… I'm not… my name's Rukia Kuchiki…" She looked up at him and he nodded.

"Hmm… Rukia Kurosaki…" He coughed and she made to smack him. It had a nice ring to it.

"No… my real name is Rukia Aizen… I was born Rukia Kuchiki…"

"And you want to be Rukia Kurosaki… right?" She smacked his arm. "I'm glad he warmed you up enough that you show a little skin…" He kissed her cheek and she smacked him away.

"Get!" She laughed. The walked silently for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

"Has he hurt you at all?" Renji questioned.

"No… in fact… he's been rather kind to me…"

"He hasn't asked sex of you yet?" Renji lifted a tattooed eyebrow.

"Nope… and I'm glad of that too…" She wiped her brow. "Sex is a dirty thing…"

"Yes… very hot and sweaty… you and your germophobia would never make it…" he chuckled and she smacked his arm again.

"You know… what I mean…" He ducked his head down.

"I know what you mean…" He sighed, there would be no convincing her. "Go to him…"

"What?" She looked over at him.

"Go to him… Ichigo… run to him… do it while Aizen's not home…" He told her, lifting her head by the chin.

"I can't Renji…" She looked down. "I just can't… I want to… but… something's stopping me… I don't want him to be angry…" her eyes diverted down to the ground and Renji sighed.

"You don't want to upset your husband… well let me tell you this… if it frees you in anyway… if you run a stoplight in the middle of the night when there isn't anyone around… no one can call you a liar when you tell them you didn't…" She blinked at him then got the metaphor… if she went to Ichigo when Aizen wasn't paying attention to her… he couldn't accuse her of doing it…

"Thanks Renji…" she smiled at him and leaned against him. "You wanna be my shrink?" She nearly giggled, his laughter taking over hers across the garden.

&&&

Ichigo tapped a pencil on the desk. He was starting to get annoyed, they hadn't sent him on any cases since he had returned to work and Toshiro was staring at him.

"You want a case?" Toshiro looked over at him.

"YES!" Ichigo jumped up. Toshiro laughed and Uryu banged his hand on the counter, his wife not far behind.

"Shush! Stop getting his hopes up!" Uryu laughed.

"Awe! Come on guys… I'm fine… can't I go do something?" He jumped as the phone rang and he picked it up. "Detective Kurosaki," he grinned broadly as he heard the FBI on the other end. They wanted him to help them. He jumped up and down as he agreed to come help them. "I'M GOING TO NEW YORK!" He danced around in a circle after he hung up.

"Wait…" Uryu held up his hands.

"Isn't that…" Kazumi looked over at Uryu.

"Where…?" Toshiro nodded to answer Uryu question.

"Yeah… that's where she is…" They watched as Ichigo paused with his back to them, his arm still thrown into the air, the brown shoulder holster he had on his back was looser when his shoulder blades were closer together. He put his arm down. Then punched air again.

"YEAH! A CASE!" He jigged again but none of them had seen him contemplate going to see her.

"You are so enthusiastic…" Kazumi lifted an eyebrow as Ichigo disappeared through the door, pulling on his suit jacket as he did.

"He's going to see her isn't he?" Uryu rolled his eyes.

"If I was trapped like a caged bird by a man I hated… would you come save me?" She asked him and he rolled his eyes.

"You women are so melodramatic…"

"You love me anyways…" She smiled and he nodded his head sarcastically from side to side.

"Yeaaah…" He tried to suppress a smile as she frowned at him.

"Right?"

"Oh come on!" He threw his arms up as she and Toshiro began to laugh at him.

&&&

"Okay… I just need you to buy a few things at the store…" Aizen spoke to her as they stood in the kitchen.

"May I go to the park and read after that?" She looked over at him. He had been incredibly nice to her… she wondered what was wrong with him.

"Yes… of course… why are you asking?" He smiled at her. An Aston Martin drove by slowly and she looked at it as Souske leaned down and planted a small kiss on her lips. "I have to go to work… be careful alright?" He smiled, brushing a piece of her hair from her face.

"Okay…" She watched him leave, touching her lips… they were cold. 'Ichigo…' She sighed softly… 'Where are you…' She leaned on the counter with a sigh and Kisuke walked in, patting her on the back.

"I got news for you…" He grinned and she swung around.

"What?" her eyes were wide.

"Ask me nicely…"

&&&

He walked through the streets of New York in plainclothes which was odd for a detective. He wore a pair of jeans and a black short sleeved shirt with "This Is Not Here" across it, he had always thought it was a funny shirt, his orange hair messy as usual. His amber eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark reflective wraparound sunglasses. He kept getting looks from people, mostly women as he walked through the streets. He nodded his head a couple of high school girls and both of them giggled and walked past. He rolled his eyes and pulled up his sunglasses setting them on his head.

"So this is the place huh?" He looked down at the piece of paper in his hand and walked up the stairs. The gun that was on the back of his hip was probably what the people on the street were looking at he figured. He still had to wear his ammunition belt around, he had no choice just in case he ran into trouble…

"Ah! Detective Kurosaki… we've got a kidnapping case set up for you…" One of the agents told him and he nodded.

"Ooh… I love kidnapping cases… c'mon James can't you give me something hard for once?" he asked as he walked into the apartment.

"Sorry Kurosaki… I just heard that you were bored out there in DC so I decided to invite you out here… you doin' alright?" The balding man asked and Ichigo grinned.

"As good as anyone who just regained their ability to walk can be… I'm great…"

"I meant emotionally… I heard you took a real blow… something about the Kuchiki girl you were protecting…" James looked over at him and Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah… I'm doing okay with that… I mean… you know…" He looked down, no one had really talked about that with him yet.

"Oh… here we go…" James pointed and Ichigo followed his hand and they landed on a broken plant. "We'll talk about that later… help us out with this one first…"

&&&

Rukia sat out under a tree in Central Park, her cell phone next to her. She smiled as she read the recent novel she had bought at the store. She laughed as she read something about gunshots in the spy novel. The author had obviously never been shot at before…

Ichigo ordered a hot dog from the cart and walked off after condimenting (XD is that a word? IT IS NOW!) it as he wanted. He stepped into the grass to sit down but something caught his eye and he dropped the hot dog. There she was, sitting beneath a tree a ways away from him, the woman that he had been dreaming of for nearly a year now. He smiled and shoved his hands into his pockets and trotted towards her.

"HA!" She laughed out loud as the character in the book was shot several times and kept going. "He's gotta go down sometime…" She chuckled and turned the page. He smiled softly and walked up behind her. He peeked around the tree to look over her shoulder.

Kisuke looked up from his own book and noticed the orange haired young man, a smile crossed his lips… so he _was _here… just like he had thought… he turned his back, pretending that he didn't know what was going on.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" His deep voice spoke from behind her and she turned around quickly, her lips meeting his as he dropped to his knees. The kiss was rough and hard, his hands gripped her face as her lips opened allowing him access to her mouth. He nearly groaned, she was so delicious.

"Ichigo…" She breathed before their lips met again. He leaned closer to her and pushed her back onto the grass, pinning her there. She moaned against him. "…stupid…" she breathed as he pulled away, his chest heaving. "…we're in the middle of the damn park…" was all he heard before pulling her up with him into a standing position. He pulled her up against him again and their lips met again and again, his heated body holding her up against the bark of the tree behind them. Her hands dragged through his hair as one of his hands sunk down the back of her jeans. She gasped at the intrusion but for the first time in her life the prudish young woman didn't protest, instead she pressed her hips hard against his and he pushed back, holding her entire body to the trunk of the tree.

"We have to get out of here…" he whispered to her and she nodded, her eyes opening to meet his. Their bodies were aching, wanting, needing… "Where?" He searched her eyes.

"Come with me…" She grabbed the discarded book and her cell phone and dragged him off in another direction. Urahara turned around and she was gone. WTF? He rolled his eyes… he knew where she had taken him.

He slammed her back up against the wall as they made it into the small apartment. She moaned against his lips as the pressure built higher in her belly. His hands made quick work of her blouse, ripping it off as she yanked off his shirt. She paused for a second to take a long hard study of his body.

His chest was riveted with muscle, the well built pectorals protruded just slightly as his chest curved into the six pack abdominal muscles that lead to the indentation of his hips onto his hardened navel. Her body quivered as she reached out to touch the silky skin above those muscles. He was a maze of muscles; the sinewy flesh beneath his skin was tightly wound; like an electrical cord every part of his body was filled with sexual energy.

He was a fully charged tank of sexual passion. She knew this now; he was an implausibly handsome, strikingly provocative sexual beast.

The scars that lay on his left side made her bite her lip and she gently traced a finger over it. He hissed at her before his lips descended on hers, she had had enough time to explore for now. His hands worked on her bra as her hands searched his back. His back was just as muscular as his chest, rivers of muscle stood out around the indented line of his spinal cord. His lips descended onto her breast as he pulled the offending fabric off and threw it somewhere. He lifted her up by her thighs, resting his hips between her open legs to hold her against the wall as his lips made hot paths across her breasts.

"Ichigo!" His name escaped her lips as his mouth clasped onto one of the pink peaks that was offered to him by her arched back. He groaned lightly as his jeans tightened around him and his eyes nearly rolled back into his head as her hands dragged down his neck. His cell phone rang at that point and his ignored it, dropping his belt onto the floor. Her lips locked back over his, pulling his body closer. His expert hands massaged her breasts, taking her breath away.

"I've waited too damn long for this to stop now…" He whispered to her as the phone rang again, he nipped his way roughly down her neck but the phone was relentless and he pulled away with an utterance of, "FUCK! Who the hell is calling?" He slid her down the wall, his chest heaving. She was so limp her body just continued down the wall to the floor as he answered the phone. "Kurosaki," he tried to breathe normally. "Oh… you did?" He asked, his eyes trained on Rukia. "Alright… I'll be right there…" He hung up the phone and she looked up at him as he pulled her up by her hand.

"What's going on?" She asked as he tossed her bra and blouse to her. He looked away from her as she pulled his shirt on. She smiled, the muscles of his back were tense and rather strained.

"Nothing… I just have a case to deal with…" He walked over to her and pressed her half naked body against the wall as their lips met again. "I love you…" he whispered to her, pressing his forehead to hers. She still didn't say anything… she never did… his fingers touch the ring around her neck. "I will call…" He whispered as their lips met again.

"Yeah… uh huh…" She dragged a hand down his cheek, holding the kiss as long as she could before he pulled away.

"I have to go…" his amber eyes were sad. "This is the wrong place and time anyways…" he told her and she nodded as she clasped the bra back on and pulled on her shirt. "I will call…" He assured her and her eyes darkened. "Would this be considered an affair?" He blinked.

"Yeah… you're a cop breaking the laws he supposed to protect…" She whispered teasingly.

"But I'm protecting the one I love…" he planted another kiss on her lips, a powerful kiss that she felt all the way down to her toes. "See ya…" He grinned and disappeared out the door.

Oh yes… Mrs. Aizen hated her life… more than anything else she could ever hate.

&&&

XDD  
I was listening to Crazy Bitch while I was writing this… and this lemony type thing is because I had a request for one…

XD

Love me!

Leave me some messages okay kids?

XDDDDD

Shalan


	13. Lab Rats

**Chapter: **Lab Rats

**Shalan's Hoot: **Hey everybody! I've got a new chapter here for you and several things are going to happen (I get the feeling this is gonna be another one of those long chapters XDDD) Anyways… yeah… it's gonna be a crazy joy ride from here… hope you all enjoy.

&&&

Ichigo paced the office, the kidnapping had instead turned into a murder, the murder of a high priority target for the Mafia. But apparently the scientist hadn't worked for the government as initially respected; instead he had worked for Souske Aizen… Xero Enterprises.

"This is shit!" Ichigo threw the report down on the table and Kisuke laughed. He saw sitting in Ichigo's hotel room, a manuscript in his lap.

"You're just upset that you didn't get to screw your girlfriend again…"

"THAT TOO!" he threw his pen and it sunk into the wall. "What the shit are they doing?" He flicked the lighter on and lit up a cigarette.

"I thought you quit," Kisuke raised an eyebrow.

"Awe… shut it…" He puffed on the little tobacco filled shaft and leaned on one of the chairs. "Hearts… what's important about the human hearts?"

"Isn't this interesting, a jack of all trades and an exmarine gone cop discussing the human heart over a cup of coffee…" Kisuke scoffed sarcastically and sipped from the coffee mug.

"You are by far the stupidest person I have ever met…"

"Stupidest isn't a word!" Kisuke laughed and Ichigo flicked his cigarette at him and lit another. "You have got to calm down!" Kisuke watched him go through another cigarette in five seconds flat.

"I am calm…" Ichigo growled and picked up the file again. Kisuke laughed a little and leaned back more.

"Sure you are… and my name is Souske Aizen!" He chuckled and Ichigo suddenly stared at him.

"I love you!" Ichigo's face lit up.

"Well… I don't necessarily swing that way and I'm sure that your future wife you be rather angry…"

"I DON'T MEAN THAT! KISUKE! YOU FIGURED IT OUT!" He clapped his hands together.

"What? You can transmute things by clapping your hands now a la Edward Elric(1)?"

"That's just a TV show!" Ichigo laughed. "AIZEN! Aizen is the connection between everything that's happened!" He was almost jumping.

"You're supposed to be Sherlock Holmes right?" Urahara was obviously not paying attention.

"What?"

"Does that make me Watson?" He looked over at Ichigo.

"You, my friend, are completely hopeless…"

&&&

Rukia laughed a little as she spoke with one of the maids. The maid immediately disappeared though as Rukia heard footsteps behind her. "Souske…" She smiled up at him. He looked down at her with a half smile.

"What are you doing today?" He sat down beside her. She smiled again and motioned to her book.

"I was reading but I caught Yuki and she and I talked for a while…" Her fingers turned the next page in the book.

"Ah… I see…" He laughed slightly. "Did you hear about one of the scientists?" She nodded, boy did she… she had seen Ichigo on the TV and had stared intently at him for about two hours while he spoke at the press conference. His voice still sent tingles down her spine.

"Yes I did… it's a sad thing that…" She patted him on the leg and he nodded.

"Yes it is…"

"So what in the world are you going to do with one of your best scientists out?" She blinked up at him and the business man shrugged.

"I have no idea what's going to happen now… the scientists that we have now… they're doing fine without him… I feel sorry for his family… should we go to the funeral?"

"Yeah… let's…" She nodded and Aizen turned her cheek, kissing her tenderly. She hated it, it made her sick but she couldn't say no…

"I have to go back to work for a while… you're free to leave the house you know… you don't have to stay here…" He grinned.

"I know… but it's not so noisy here…" She nodded to him and Aizen stood, walking off.

&&&

"Is she warming up to you?" Byakuya asked over the phone and heard an affirmative over the line and he chuckled. "That's good… I'm sorry to hear about your scientist…"

"Yes… that was rather unfortunate…"

"Hey! Aizen!" "Mr. Van Horne"'s voice came through the door. Gin poked his head in and Aizen waved at him to shut up.

"I hope you find another replacement soon…"

"I'm sure I will… anyways… I have a few more things left to do… so I shall take my leave… I'll speak with you later," Aizen hung up and looked over at Gin.

"I got something for you!" Ichimaru almost skipped into the room as he shut the door.

"I haven't seen you this excited since the Red Socks won the series…" He blinked as Ichimaru threw a file onto Aizen's desk.

"I found your diamonds…"

&&&

Ichigo walked casually towards the glass sliding doors that hid the lab from him. He walked up and placed his hand on the pad.

"Now I've put your handprint into the system, you're the replacement for the scientist that died earlier and you're there to check the place over, once its done with… you scram… the funeral will only last so long…"

Ichigo walked down the bridge after the doors slid open. He nodded to the scientists as he passed.

"There's a camera in the jacket button…" he heard Kisuke's voice in his ear and he smiled lightly. "All you have to do is punch the button in the sleeved and it'll take it, its directly uplinked to my computer so don't worry. And please don't talk back to me unless I ask you a direct question… otherwise… you'll look insane…" Ichigo scoffed and walked off, he looked down at the people working below him in awe… but the items they were working on were not what he expected. They were the hearts of human beings.

'The King of Hearts…' Ichigo took a picture and continued walking, he stepped past another part of the lab and clicked another picture. But it was only when he heard voices that he stopped.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE HAS THEM?!" Aizen shouted at Gin.

"I MEAN THAT THE DETECTIVE HAS A RING MADE OF THE CONFLICT DIAMONDS! That's all we would need… we could keep the company running by getting the funding we need while at the same time make ourselves filthy rich… then they would be ready in time… and we could easily wipe them out…"

"So what you're saying is that the man that my wife was seeing…"

"Had the diamonds… which means that they're right under your nose… all you have to do is get the information as to where he is…"

"I can't do that Ichimaru… Kurosaki is sharper than you think… how else would he have figured out what I was doing by cutting out all those hearts… how else would he have gotten that rat into our midst… how else would he have figured out that if he stayed close to Kuchiki that I wouldn't be able to kill anyone… except him… but even that has been deemed impossible…"

"Sir… do you want me to have Kurotsuchi do it?" Gin folded his arms and Aizen pursed his lips.

"I can't do anything until I get the information out of her… even if I have to beat it out…" Aizen stood up and Ichigo fell back, turning tail and running… but he was slow, a tad slower than he had been anyways and Aizen caught sight of him.

"THAT RAT'S IN HERE!" He pulled out a gun and snarled, emptying the entire clip at Ichigo. The detective jumped off the side of the railing, a bullet ripping through his arm. He clenched his teeth as he landed on one of the tables.

"GET OUTTA THERE!" He heard Kisuke's voice. "AND BE CAREFUL!"

"OH YEAH URAHARA! CAUSE THAT'S THE ONE THING I FORGOT TO DO WHILE ENTERING A VIPER'S NEST OF ENEMIES… WAS BE CAREFUL!" He shouted as he pulled out the two guns. "BACK OFF!" He kicked one of the guards in the face and jumped over him. He fired at the glass door, emptying the clips and he slammed his shoulder through the already weakened Plexiglas. "FUCK! THE NEXT TIME YOU ASK ME TO DO THIS URAHARA I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" he pulled off the long white jacket and jumped into the car that was waiting for him. "GO! GO!" He refilled the clips and Urahara drove letting out a shout as he did.

"WAAAHOOOOOO! I LOVE MY LIFE!" Kisuke laughed hysterically as he drove away. Ichigo looked over at him with a death glare.

"I hate you…" he leaned his head back against the chair with a grimace, he fingered the hole in his arm. "Fuck…" he breathed.

"We'll get you fixed up, first however, we have to go save your lovely bride… if Aizen hasn't gotten there first…"

"Whattya mean?" Ichigo looked over and Kisuke grinned evilly…

"He can drive straight through… we have to go around… which means I have to drive faster… doesn't it?" He grinned and Ichigo nodded sarcastically and reached down, pulling up the little red strobe light. "That's good… I like that idea…" He set it up outside the window on the hood of the car and turned it on. "Now I can go as hella fast as I want!" He gunned the car down the street and Ichigo held on for dear life.

&&&

"RUKIA!" She turned as she heard her name. Aizen stormed up and grabbed her by the front of her shirt. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" He slammed her back into the wall and her eyes widened in pain as she heard a snap.

"Tell you what?" She panted, with each breath she was in severe pain and Aizen just shook her again.

"He has the diamonds… the conflict diamonds that I could be using right now…" she had never seen this side of him before. But as he punched across her face she felt her old personality which she had lovingly nicknamed 'confrontational' and she shouted back.

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS!" She shouted back and he slapped her across the face.

"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME! YOU'RE MY WIFE! YOU DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME!" He threw her down then picked her back up again.

"You don't own me…" her voice was low and deadly but as his lips met hers she cringed.

"I will teach you to disobey me." (Now personally I don't really know the effectiveness of this phrase… but… whatever) His lips were harsh against hers as he ripped her blouse open, buttons flying all over the place. He ripped off her bra and kissed her breasts and she felt tears well up in her eyes as he kissed her again, his hands pulling her jeans down easily then he was suddenly lifted by the back of his jacket and flipped around. The man behind him slammed the brunette into the wall and ran his fist into Aizen's face. Rukia slid down the wall, her entire body trembling in fear.

"IF YOU EVER TOUCH HER AGAIN I WILL MAKE YOU FUCKING PAY! IF I EVEN SEE YOU AROUND HER! OR IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING HER I WILL KNOW AND I WILL KILL YOU WITHOUT HESITATION!" Ichigo slammed his fist into the business man's face again and suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped around Ichigo's chest.

"C'mon! LET'S GO BEFORE THE GUARDS COME!" Kisuke pulled him away from Aizen.

"Rukia…" Ichigo reached for her but she shied away. "DAMN IT DON'T DO THIS!" He picked her up and carried her out, running for the car. She bit his hand, hard, squirming to get out of his grasp. "FUCK! STOP IT! I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU DAMN IT!" He nearly threw her into the car.

_'This is not worth it…'_ Ichigo thought as he jumped into the car after her and shut the door.

&&&

POOR RUKIA! OMG! I can't believe I am soo mean… LEMONY COMING UP!!! YAYA!!!! I HEART LEMONS!

Shalan


	14. Don't Let Me Go

**Chapter: **Don't Let Me Go

**Shalan's Yakity Yak: **The heart may freeze or it can burn… uhm yeah… I'm listening to the RENT soundtrack… I HEART RENT! XDDDD anyways… onto the lemon lemon no? n.n you guys have been waiting for this one… anyways… some explaining to do… and then a little more things to do and then the lemon… and don't worry… this most certainly is maybe… the middle chapter… not even… there's about one more chapter until we get to the middle XDDD… I have much more up my sleeve than just my little lemon… XDDDD of course… this chapter… might just be the whole lemon… yep! Four pages of lemon coming right up!

**WARNING ADULT CONTENT**: LEMON! LEMON LEMON! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT DON'T READ IT AND COMPLAIN TO ME!

&&&

"There was nothing else I could do… what was I supposed to do? Just LEAVE her there?" he shouted at someone. Rukia sat on the bed staring off into space. "FINE! FUCK!" He hung up the phone and turned around to face her, she sat on the bed, now she was staring at him. "You can stop looking at me like I fucking tried to rape you…" he stormed off and her eyes followed him. He stormed back in and stood before her. "I've figured out your problem…" He told her and she blinked up at him silently.

She stared as he unbuckled his ammunition belt and his regular belt with steady hands, her face flushed as he unbuttoned his slacks and dropped them along with his boxers to the ground. His chest was already bare from earlier when she had taken off his shirts to wrap his arm. However, now he stood before her in the nude and she stared at him like he had lost his mind.

"You can now say that you've seen me naked…" he tilted his chin up, folding his hands together against his own rear end and stared back. She wondered how he could possibly stand in front of her completely naked without even blushing. His eyebrows lifted up as she stood and took a step towards him. "Go ahead… I'm not going to do anything… you may satisfy your curiosity." He looked off to the side, '_not voluntarily anyways…_' he smirked slightly.

It was as she suspected, he was nothing more than just a surging wire of sexual desire… and it was drawing her in. "I'm not going to bite…" He snickered and she threw him a dirty look. "Neither one…" he snorted again and decided to stop making dirty jokes, it was just making her more nervous.

"Can… I…" her voice was questioning and he looked off to the side as if to say 'why else would I strip down?' He felt her hand on his navel and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head their lips touched.

He had to resist the temptation to grab her and rip her clothes off; he also had to resist the temptation to melt into a blob of putty as her fingers brushed the semi erect member. Her lips moved against his and he opened his mouth, hating giving her the control but he had to. He knew he had to. Her tongue flitted in, timid, like her, but became bolder and rushed through his entire mouth and again, he had to resist the urge to rip her clothes off. He had to be patient.

Her hands ignored his nether regions for some time; just flowing over his back and chest, memorizing every scar and every etched inch of him. Their tongues tangled as her hands slid up his chest to his neck to his face, pulling him down to her. He finally lifted a hand and cupped the side of her face, delving his tongue into her, tasting the sweet nectar of her body. He wondered what_ she_ tasted like if just her mouth was this good.

Her hands made their way down his body, tracing the lines of his etched hips downwards. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head as her hand ran slowly along his length. "Jesus…" She heard him breathe and almost drew her hand back but his hand caught her wrist. "That's not a bad…" as she heard him speak her other hand brushed it again and he shut up, letting out a groan. Her thumb traced the shaft lightly all the way up, then her hand went lower, much to his dismay.

He felt his knees buckle as her cool hand tenderly graced the sac beneath. He felt his entire body shut down as her curious fingers made their way back up to the shaft and she heard another groan from him. She looked up at him only to see his eyes were closed, his back leaning against the wall to keep him standing. His breath was coming in pants and she loved the control. His life seemed to hinge on her, his whole being was under her control… she had him at her mercy.

"Is that a good thing?" She whispered as her lips planted a kiss on his jaw. He opened and eye to look at her and tilted his head.

"Is… what?" Her hand squeezed him lightly and another groan was ripped from his throat. He felt his legs tremble, they weren't going to hold him up much longer. He knew he was going to have to take control at some point… but letting her go until he came wouldn't be such a bad idea either…

Her grin suddenly became devilish and Ichigo lifted an eyebrow as he saw her drop out of his sight. He knew what was coming, but he didn't realize that she knew anything about it… of course… curiosity tended to be the best teacher… and since she was going in inexperienced she'd probably find everything about him that made him melt like putty.

Her tongue flicked across his head and his eyes_ did_ roll back into his head, she was bolder than he thought. He wasn't going to let her continue this, her reign of terror upon his body. He couldn't, his hand reached down and pulled her up roughly, pulling her lips to his.

"I don't think you can have any more time…" He whispered as his kissed her, hard. His body felt possessed, she had driven his lust up high enough that he was having trouble controlling himself. His carnal desires said he should be able to just rip her clothes off and she would be submissive but his mind and what he knew of her told him that she would be just as fiery as in her everyday life. She would toy with him until the end.

"What's wrong? Did I anger you?" She gasped as his hands ripped open her blouse. His lips conquered hers as his hand pulled down the lace bra that covered her breasts. Soft white flesh tumbled out as he shredded through her undergarments. He threw it to another corner in the room. He pushed her back towards the bed, stepping her backwards as his lips tortured hers, his presence overwhelming her.

"You might have…" He whispered in the milliseconds between kisses. His thumbs invaded her jeans and yanked them down, breaking the zipper. His hands gripped her ass tightly, eliciting a moan from her as his lips kissed her neck roughly.

"So sorry… maybe you shouldn't have tempted me…" she felt her head snap back as his fingers found her soaked center, his fingers brushing the tender and slightly swollen flesh. God she was wet, soaked right through. His fingers brushed against the fabric covered skin and heard her delicious whine. He didn't think he was going to make it… oh no… her moans were too much for him, driving his carnal desires through the roof, there was no way that this was going to end well, not that he could see anyways.

"I guess…" He whispered as their lips met again. "That I'm just going to have to teach you a lesson…" the temperature in the room went up fifteen degrees as he pulled down her underwear and slid his middle finger across the sensitive flesh. She was paralyzed, torn between pain and pleasure. Her body was humming but her mind was telling her that this was bad, and that once he had sex with her he was going to just leave her… she was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice him pushed her back onto the bed. Her eyes stared up into his as he held himself over her. "I'm in New York… where are you?" he whispered and she blinked up at him. Ichigo wasn't like that… Ichigo would never do anything to hurt her… as his lips met hers she felt all of her worries fly away, she was in Ichigo's arms, where nothing bad could ever happen to her.

His fingers slid slowly into her, pushing into her, wet and hollow. Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' as his lips coated her breasts with heated kisses. Her body responded and her back arced sensually as his fingers began their solid movement.

She had no idea that sex was like this. Was this even considered sex or was it foreplay? She didn't know but whatever it was it felt so good she didn't care. Her body was under his control, her entire system focused on those fingers that were inserted into a place where she didn't even like to go herself.

"Ichigo…" she whimpered and he drew away, the whimper was something he associated with fear for her. "…don't stop… please…" she whined, her body twisting. Sweat dripped down his face onto her stomach and he panted, catching his breath but then dove down, he heard her choke his name through a heavy groan as his tongue lapped through her.

Her body writhed beneath him as his tongue flitted up into her passage and her body broke into a sweat. He knew she would come for him soon. Boy was he going to enjoy that. He tortured her opening a little longer before moving to the little bud that he loved so much. His lips clasped over it and he bit down gently, that was the last straw for her. He heard her cry his name, gasping as her primary orgasm thundered through her body. He heard her pant as he lapped up her juices, sucking them down like nectar.

He didn't say anything as nothing needed to be said. His fingers slid into her again, making her writhe as he appeared over her again. Her eyes opened as he pulled his fingers out. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing but then she didn't have to as his tip brushed her soaked flesh. Her chest heaved as she tried to breathe.

This was Ichigo.

He wouldn't hurt her.

He would never hurt her.

He loved her more than anything in the world.

This was Ichigo. And he wasn't anything like any of the other men in the world.

She arced her back as he slid in, a quarter of his length and a groan was torn from his own lips, pressing his face into her collarbone. Her legs wrapped around his waist and his eyes rolled back into his head. Was he really doing this? Was Rukia Kuchiki really beneath him on the bed? Or was he just screwing someone else to get rid of her again? He opened his eyes and there she was. The striking angel with the pale skin and black hair, her blue eyes closed, sweat dripping down her face, her body arced up against him.

She was here.

He resisted the urge to enter her completely until her legs tightened around him, pulling him in until he was sheathed so tightly against her hips that it made him bit her shoulder to keep from groaning out loud. His hips began their solid rocking movement and Rukia adjusted herself, letting her body rock with his. What was so wrong with this? Why had she stayed away from it for so long? His lips made searing lines down her neck and shoulders as their bodies moved in rhythm.

In her inexperience mind, she had decided, that Ichigo Kurosaki… was a sex god. He was a beautiful Adonis with a sex drive like no other… and what he could make her feel nearly knocked her over. His lips met hers again as they dissolved into passionate open mouthed kisses as their bodied moved in unison.

&&&

His hand graced the dip of her waist, the slope of her hip, the curve of her thigh. She lay asleep next to him, his right arm beneath her head, his left now tracing the paths that had wanted to follow for nearly two years. Here she was… before him, in all of her naked glory. He loved it. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips, only to have her kiss him back.

"You're awake…" he whispered, his amber eyes dark. She nodded, keeping her eyes closed. Her body was covered in goose flesh he noticed and he pulled up the covers around them. His hand gripped her hip and pulled her up against him, wrapping his free arm around her waist so that their stomachs were pressed together.

"Don't let me go…" she whispered, burying her face in his chest. He rested his chin on her head and sighed.

"I don't plan on it…" he replied as she snuggled even closer so that her chest pressed against his, her legs tangling through his. "I don't plan on it…"


	15. Connecting The Dots

**Chapter: **Connecting the Dots

**Shalan's Say: **OKAY! WOOO! Almost one hundred reviews! OMG That's amazing when usually I only get two or three… cries… I love you all! Thanks for sticking with me all the way through… Uhm… lessee… how many chapters are there left… just about… 10 or 15… maybe more… haven't fully decided…

&&&

Her eyes fluttered open as she heard a cell phone ring. Her husband shifted and grumbled something about her getting it. She shook her head and buried her face back into his neck. He reached over and grabbed the cell phone off the charger, glancing at the caller ID. "Ishida…" He grumbled putting the cell phone on his ear.

"Hey Uryu! How are you doing on this fine morning?" Ichigo laughed and the other man grumbled something about Ichigo being an idiot. "I need you to do me a favor… think you can do that for me?"

"Depends… does it involve breaking your neck?" Uryu grumbled at him and the beautiful redhead in his arms kissed his collarbone, distracting him from what Ichigo was saying. "Stop that…" he swatted at her lightly and she smiled, biting tenderly.

"I don't know… but it might involve arresting someone…" Ichigo chuckled as he watched Rukia pace. They had been waiting for news from Kisuke for nearly a month now an there had been little contact.

"Hmmm?" Uryu opened an eye then swatted at his wife again, her lips were now travelling along his toned stomach and he grabbed her chin, pulling her head up from where she was inevitably heading to his lips, which was what she had wanted in the first place. "What…" he only got that word out before she kissed him again and he frowned, she was so possessive.

"I want to you arrest Byakuya Kuchiki…" Ichigo said nonchalantly. He blinked as he heard Uryu groan lightly from the other line and he chuckled. "Your wife bothering you Ishida?"

"Yes… go away…" he swatted at her again. Then turned his back to her. Which as so as he did it he knew it was a bad idea.

"So anyways… think you could do that? And who's Hitsugaya dating?" Ichigo stared as Rukia started pulling on her jacket. "Where are you going?" he whispered, covering up the mouthpiece. She kissed him and turned, disappearing through the door. He blinked but put the phone back to his ear.

"Dunno…" he said as he felt his wife's hands slide around his waist from behind and he shuddered lightly. She wasn't going to let him finish this conversation without giving him hell for waking her up. "Hey now… I'm not the one who called… Kurosa-sh…" he didn't finish his sentence as her hands graced his nether regions. He bit his bottom lip hard. "Her name's Momo… she works for some company… a secretary for a high class business… st-stop that…"

"Alright… thanks… anyways… if you can pick him up in a while…" Ichigo blinked as Rukia walked back into the small apartment they were in, locking the door behind her, a small paper bag in her hands. "Just take him into custody until Kisuke or I contact you… give your beautiful wife a kiss for me…" He chuckled and hung up the phone.

"What are you staring at?" She blinked over at him and he smiled.

"I'm just wondering what gave you the idea that you could just up and leave…" he cornered her against the wall and she grinned up at him.

"You were on the phone and I didn't want to bother you…" his lips met hers, his hands gripping her face.

"You should have… I would have gone with you…" he whispered. She had expected him to be raging mad. But as he lifted her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist… she found she didn't care.

&&&

Kisuke waltzed along the street humming some kind of song that he seemed to just be making up as he went.

The jack-of-all-trades was happy. He had found a good safe house… a better one than the one that they were in anyways. He hummed a little loud and swung around in a circle with a smile. He was so excited he could almost dance. He paused, taking another step as he heard footsteps behind him.

He knew that there were a ton of other people on the streets but… why was the hair standing up on the back of his neck? He smiled slightly and pushed his jacket back from his hips, sliding his hands onto the holsters on his hips. He felt like a cowboy in a movie. And he loved it.

The man behind him was following him, obviously and had been for some time. Kisuke knew this as well. But for some reason that didn't bother him. He just continued walking to where Rukia and Ichigo were hidden, knowing he was leading the man to them. Again, he didn't care, the other two would be out of there as soon as he got there anyways… besides… Ichigo could help him take the guy out.

But as he turned into the alleyway… he realized that waiting until he got to the apartment was not going to be an option…

The click of a safety being taken off resounded from behind him and Kisuke made no movements. "Put your hands on the top of your head…" he heard the cold voice from behind him. "Put your hands on your head and freeze." Kisuke knew that voice… he knew it all too well.

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi… It's been a while…" Kisuke placed his hands on top of his head. Kurotsuchi turned him around to face him and took the guns out of Kisuke's holsters, throwing them across the alleyway. His gun held under Urahara's neck.

"Shut your mouth. Tell me… where are they?" His gold eyes were menacing and Kisuke grinned.

"If you would have let me go I would have led you to them…" Kisuke retorted and looked away.

"Bastard," Kurotsuchi spat.

"Whatever happened to you? You used to be a respectable hitman… now you're working for people like Aizen?"

"Shut up Urahara, you have no right to tell me shit…"

"I taught you everything you know… I can tell you anything I want…" Kisuke grinned, leaning forward slightly. The gun raised to his face and he blinked.

"Tell me where they are…"

"I'm afraid I can't do that…" The hand holding the gun squeezed the trigger a little more. "Obviously you feel strongly about this…"

"I'll let you live if you tell me…" The blue haired man said coldly and Kisuke considered this.

"I always was better than you… wasn't I? "

"Didn't I tell you to shut your mouth?"

"Yes but… if you want me to tell you anything how can I keep my mouth shut AND tell you things?" Kisuke laughed. "I think I'll be going now…" Kisuke grinned and a foot swung out of nowhere and kicked the gun out of Mayuri's hand. He shifted and pulled out the other as Kisuke dove for his guns.

"Too bad for you… 'cause he brought back up…" The pretty raven-haired woman grinned and swung her leg up again, kicking Mayuri in the face as he pulled the trigger. It hit the wall beside her and he grabbed Kisuke by his jacket, pulling him around the corner. "Damn it Kisuke… why the hell do you get me involved with all this shit?"

"Thank you my love!" He grinned over at her. She frowned back and ran ahead of him.

"Where are they hidden again?"

"In an apartment north of here…" Kisuke replied as they dove down the subway stairs. "We can get on the next train and get there in about 15 minutes…"

"Next time… tell me before you act…" She sighed and sat down on the train next to him.

"I will…" He grinned and she wanted to slap him. "I usually do don't I?"

"Let's just get there as fast as we can…"

&&&

Toshiro walked silently through the dark hallways of the police station. He looked over at Ichigo's desk and sighed lightly. His friend had gotten himself into a ton of trouble this time. He ran his hand across his own desk, thinking about how all this had begun. They had gone on a routine check for a homicide… it was then that Ichigo had found the first thing wrong with the scene. Everything was too perfect, the room had nothing wrong with it other than the dead body on the floor… there was something wrong with that. And to find that the victim's heart had been torn out… that was even worse.

The second time it had happened Ichigo had begun to obsess over the cases. He was almost always looking at pictures of the scenes and comparing them. He seemed like a mad man trying to figure out why he had become mad.

The third time had been the worst. Ichigo had been at the scene of the crime, he had been there not but ten minutes before… so he was arrested for it… and that drove him crazy. He had been put on house arrest… that was when he had met Rukia…

Rukia… Toshiro looked over at Ichigo's desk. Rukia seemed to be the connecting factor in all of this… but what was it? From what he knew of her she had been raped when she was a child then she went on to be a famous lawyer… then she had captured Ichigo's attention. But he had been paying attention to her before that…

Toshiro thought back… there had to be something about her that would make Ichigo investigate her… but what was it? He walked over to the file cabinet. She was the sister of the owner of Sony… she was beautiful… she was a lawyer… she was the connecting factor… but what was the connection? What was the connection?

What was the connection between Ichigo, these murders and Kuchiki? Why did he risk his life to save her? Why did he investigate her? Why… why? All these questions… and no answers…

Ichigo's time in the military… his involvement in special operations… his skills on the crime scene… his suspicion… his pledge never to shoot a gun again… "Who are you Ichigo Kurosaki?" He whispered as he turned on his computer.

Why was this case so important to him? Why was he so interested in Aizen? And why hadn't he told him about his outside source, that jack of all trades he was always talking about.

What was he planning? And what did he knew that Toshiro didn't know? Toshiro leaned back in his chair with a groan, he couldn't figure this out…

"Start at the beginning… and search the scene a hundred times…" He heard a familiar voice.

"What are you doing here?" Toshiro asked, not even looking to see who it was.

"I might have some answers for you on your detective…" Toshiro shifted his eyes to look at the other man.

"Like what?" Hitsugaya set his chair legs on the ground.

"You're going to have to ask nicely…" Jushiro Ukitake walked out of the shadows, a devil's grin on his face.

&&&

Aizen stormed into his office, his secretary jumped up. "Sir, I have information, a report from Kurotsuchi…" The CEO swung around to stare at her.

"Hurry up! I don't have time…" He barked and she nodded.

"He's been injured by Kisuke and an unknown woman… he says that he's going to pursue them and report back as soon as he can…"

"Thank you… please don't bother me for the rest of the day… I have an extremely important meeting to attend."

"Yessir…" she said as his door slammed.

"What the hell is going on Ichimaru!" He shouted. "Why can't you locate them?"

"Sorry, he's avoiding us better than we thought… I didn't realize that he was this good. We searched his apartment and it was clean he hadn't been in it for weeks…"

"Did you check every listing in the city for housing and hotels?"

"I did sir, we didn't get any hits…" Gin replied and folded his arms. "They're better than we thought…"

"FUCK!" Aizen slammed his desk over. "I WANT HIM DEAD!" He shouted at the other man who stood in the corner. "You track down Kurosaki and kill him, and anyone that's with him… if my wife is there, bring her to me… unspoiled… otherwise kill anyone in your way…"

The man in the corner nodded, a twisted smile on his face. "Consider him dead…"

&&&

XDDD That was another fun chapter… we should all celebrate when I hit one hundred… OMG It's so totally amazing I never thought I would ever hit one hundred reviews… OMG OMG OMG! It's beyond me I don't know why you all like this story so much but who cares?

I love you all!

Shalan


	16. Looks Like The Sun Isn't Coming Out

**NOTE: After this one… go read A Turn of the Page my newest ****IchiRuki**

**Chapter: **Looks Like The Sun Isn't Coming Out

**Shalan's ****Waaa**I stayed up all last night talking on MSN with perhaps the funniest person I've ever met… and he's my size YAY! Anyways… here's the next chapter for you guys because I've met this person who kicked my ass at chess, uno and tic tac toe… TT.TT my life sucks… did I mention that I think he's funny? You guys… I think I'm going to kidnap him and bring him to Missouri! We don't have guys like there here in the Midwest XDDDDD but I think he thinks I'm weird… most boys do XD after last night he'll probably never talk to me again… TT.TT but… last night was fun while it lasted

ANYWAYS… ELEVENTY ONE REVIEWS? OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG _dies_

&&&

She had no idea where her newfound sex drive had come from but the back seat that they were sitting in was starting to look promising. Ichigo's warm hand was resting on her thigh and she leaned into him. He smiled lightly and curved the arm closest to her around her waist.

"Where are we going?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Kisuke didn't really tell me… but I'm sure it's somewhere safe…" he rested his face against her neck.

&&&

Uryu stretched slightly as they walked down the hallway. He and Toshiro walked in stride, both looking rather serious. Byakuya thought they were rather comical. Uryu walked in first and immediately held up a warrant in front of Byakuya's face.

"Byakuya Kuchiki we're here to arrest you on charges of embezzling." Toshiro grinned at him. Byakuya scooted back from his desk.

"What?" He looked shocked and drew back as they walked closer. "I have done no such thing!" He protested and Uryu grabbed him, slamming him against the desk and cuffing his hands together. "WHAT THE HELL! YOU CAN'T ARREST ME! YOU HAVE NO REASON!" He was slammed against the desk again.

"You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to legal counsel if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you…" Toshiro quipped with a grin and let led the frustrated business man out of the building. He blinked and looked around as he noticed that all the offices were empty.

"Just trust us… we know what we're doing…" Uryu whispered to him and he tilted his shoulders away from them.

&&&

"…there was an explosion in downtown New York today when the Sony building there detonated at 3 PM…" Rukia stared at the TV. Ichigo and Kisuke were in the other room talking about god knows what. They were out in the middle of nowhere in an underground bunker that Urahara had built. It reminded her of a hobbit hole. So that's what she called it.

"ICHG…" She froze as she saw her brother, escorted by Uryu, Toshiro and Kazumi down the stairs. "BYAKUYA!" She pummeled into him.

"Ugh… Rukia?" He blinked down at her and she squeezed him tighter.

"You're alright!" She was so happy. She had Ichigo and Byakuya now. He hugged her back.

"Are you alright?" He pulled her away slightly. Ichigo watched as they two immediately sat down in the den and began to talk. She was so energetic.

He felt his eyes grow sad. Byakuya was so much better to her than he ever could be. She had been raised under him and she had now spent part of her time living her life in luxury. He was a lower middle class detective that barely made his way on his measly paycheck. He scanned her body. She was a Queen who deserved a king… not a pauper.

"Ichigo…" Kisuke asked him… "Ichigo!" The man tore his eyes away from Rukia and looked at him. Then he did a double take. Her hand was curled against her navel. He blinked and Kisuke leaned over and planted a kiss on Ichigo's nose. He spun to look at him. "Hi there!" He grinned and Ichigo made a face. "I thought that would get your attention…"

"What do you want?"

"What do you want me to do with them?" He motion at Toshiro and Uryu. Kazumi was sitting next to Rukia.

"Oh… you guys can go back to work if you want… I won't be…" He smiled. "Obviously, come up with an excuse… and one for Byakuya as well…" Ichigo motioned.

"You're distracted… why?" Uryu blinked.

"No reason…" His eyes trailed back to Rukia who looked over, indigo met amber and she smiled, waving.

&&&

"Good evening my love…" A deep voice spoke from behind her and a pair of powerful arms wrapped around her waist.

"Ichigo…" She laughed as he kissed her neck. "What are you doing?" She asked him.

"I am being curious… today I saw you looking mysterious…" his hands slid across her stomach. She smiled lightly.

"I was being mysterious?" She turned around in his arms.

"Yes…"

"Isn't it your job to figure out mysteries?" She smiled as he kissed her tenderly.

"Yes… but mysteries are easier to figure out when you have a talking dog…" He spoke against her lips.

"You just want me to tell you don't you?" She smiled at him again and he nodded, his eyes dark. She searched them for a second then blushed.

"Heh?" He blinked as her as she smiled timidly and turned red. "What is it?" He pressed his forehead to hers

"I'm…" She whispered. He kissed her tenderly. "I'm pre-g…" the door opened and her brother walked in.

"Ignore me…" he walked past them and into her bathroom, grabbed a towel and walked back out.

"I'm pregnant…" she finally spilled the truth and it felt so much better when she told the truth.

"You're what?" He blinked at her.

"I'm pregnant… pregnant Ichigo…" His jaw dropped down almost to his chest. She was pregnant. He had put two and two together a few weeks before… but hearing it from her mouth… he had no idea what to say… or do for that matter.

"You…" He stared. That put her in more danger than they had originally thought. If Aizen got wind of this…

"Yes…" She laughed slightly and tears welled up in her eyes… he wasn't happy. She bowed her head.

"What's wrong?" he tilted her head back up. Tears spilled from her eyes. She felt vulnerable again. She hated feeling vulnerable.

"I… I'm sorry…" She wiped her eyes until he grabbed her hand.

"No… tell me what's wrong…" His hands graced her face, his thumbs gently wiping away her tears.

"You aren't happy… I'm sorry… I made you unhappy…" she froze as he kissed her again, holding her lips hard against his. Her eyes fluttered closed, tears still dripping down her face.

"You didn't make me unhappy… I'm the happiest man on the planet right now…" he pulled her into an embrace and she pressed her face against his chest. "I'm just worried about you baby…" He stroked her hair. "I'm just worried about you…"

&&&

"You got her pregnant?" Kisuke raised an eyebrow. "Was that in the plan?" Urahara chewed on a tooth pick and watched him pace.

"No… falling for her was not in the plan…" he spat. Kisuke spread out a set of papers.

"Right… you were just going to get her trust to get to her brother…" He chuckled. "That always works…"

"I didn't tell her…" He looked off to the side.

"Why do you have to?" Kisuke wondered out loud.

"Because… I'd rather have her hear it from me… than from say… you…"

"Yeah… I'd rather hear it from my baby's daddy…" Kisuke quipped and Ichigo hit him. "Ngh… you're mean!" He rubbed his stomach.

"You need to shut up…" Ichigo retorted and Kisuke made a face at him.

"How do you feel about being a father?" Yoruichi asked from behind them and they swung around.

"Me? I dunno…" He ran a hand through his hair. "I doubt I'd be the best… I'd probably be the worst…" he smiled towards the room where Rukia was sleeping.

"You've never run from a responsibility before… the only way you could be the worst would be if you ran from this one…" Yoruichi walked over to him.

"She deserves so much more than I could ever give her…" he looked down. Kisuke sat up.

"She doesn't care about having anything. She loves you. She's not going to care if you two are living in a one room apartment on the west side… she'd still love you. She doesn't need all of that… she doesn't even want it. She just wants to be with you…" Kisuke told him and Ichigo looked down.

"That's the first serious and truthful thing I think I've ever heard you say…" Yoruichi smiled at him.

"Thank you… you'll find I do think… I just don't tell you I do…"

"She still deserves more…" Ichigo stated.

"But she doesn't want more… she wants you… she wants you to be happy… because that's what love's all about… it's not a one way street. You always try and protect her, that is your way of showing your love because it's one of the only ways that you can express that love… she just tries to keep you happy, she makes sure you're alright she waits up at night to make sure you come home safe…" he pointed a finger at him. "You are the best man she could ever have… you're a good man… you should know that Ichigo…"

"Yeah… I kill people and I arrest people who kill other people… great job…" He looked off to the side.

"It doesn't matter, you're a good man. You are kind and caring, willing to do anything for the ones you love…" He folded his arms. "You are above and beyond any other man I have ever met. But you have problems, like everyone does… and she loves you, not despite of but because of those flaws…"

"Kisuke… for once… you are making me feel better…" He smiled.

"I should be… but you have to understand Ichigo… she doesn't just love you… she is IN love with you… and that is a bond not easily made and never broken. It's a connection not many people have…"

"I just… want her to be happy…" he looked down again.

"The only way she's going to be happy is with you Ichigo…" Kisuke told him and Ichigo looked up. "She wouldn't be happy with anyone else… because she loves you… and she will always love you…"

"She's never told me that…" He looked at the blue prints on the table.

"She doesn't have to. It's in her eyes, in her skin, in her voice. If she didn't love you she wouldn't run to you when she needed help… If she didn't love you she wouldn't have faced her fear of guns and men to save your life on the rooftop that day… If she didn't love you she would have never let you make love to her…"

"You know she loves you Ichigo…" Yoruichi rubbed his shoulder. "You know that… because you love her… you even said it… you love her more than life itself… didn't you say that?"

"I would die for her…"

"Well let's make sure you never get the chance…" Kisuke laughed and Ichigo smiled.

"Thank you Kisuke…" The blonde gave him the thumbs up.

"No problem… now back to what we were doing…"

&&&

HELLO! I posted a new chapter for you… you all must love me now!

Anyways… so Rukia is pregnant? OMG Who saw that coming? XDDDD MEEE

And what's all this? Ichigo was using Rukia before? Oooh! But he fell in love with her! How cuuute! HAHAHAHAHA

Shalan


	17. My Sunshine

**Chapter: **My Sunshine

**Shalan's Say: **Uhm… this chapter… is going to be difficult for many of you to handle… but it is far from the end… I am telling you… don't leave me now… because you'll be leaving before the end… far before the end.

&&&

Ichigo watched in awe, this was a first for him that he could remember. He hadn't been allowed into to see his sisters' birth but now he had just witnessed the birth of his own child. His own flesh and blood… and it was something that awed him, something that completely floored him as he was handed the small bundle. Rukia lifted a hand and gently touched her baby's cheek. The small clean room they were in seemed to light up as he handed her the baby.

He had stayed the night at the hospital with her, curling up in one of the uncomfortable chairs. She had tried to talk him into staying in the bed with her but the doctors told her it wasn't big enough.

"She's so beautiful…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she cradled the tiny bundle. Ichigo had heard his sisters when he was a boy, when they were babies and their crying came back to him now… unfortunately.

"What should we name her?" He asked softly leaning down next to her cheek. She laughed as he teasingly rubbed his cheek against hers.

"You're all stubbly…" she chuckled, rubbing his face. He smiled and brushed his cheek against hers again. "Misaki," she smiled, remembering his mother. He blinked.

"That was my…" he trailed off as she turned her head to look at him. "Mother's name…" She smiled and for the first time in a long time she saw tears in his eyes. It had been almost two years… and it almost stunned her.

"We can name her something else… if you want…" she suggested and he shook his head.

"Misaki… you're going to be a beautiful girl…" he stroked his thumb along her cheek gently. "I love you my baby girl…" He whispered to her.

"And she loves you…" Rukia smiled as he kissed her. She smiled against his lips.

"And I love her mother…" He cupped her face with his hand.

"I love her father," she swallowed as she said it and he nearly blinked. She had never said that to him before. "I love you Ichigo Kurosaki… and if you don't know that by now… you're really dense…" She laughed and pressed her forehead against his.

"I'm just really dense…" He kissed her again, the one thing he had wanted all his life… a wife and child… yet there were so many thing wrong with the picture. She was still legally someone else's wife, they were being hunted and their baby was in danger. But all that seemed trivial right now to the fact that his daughter had just been born. "My baby girl…" he smiled at the sleeping baby.

"My Ichigo…" she smiled and he smiled back, his guilt already building. If this didn't go as planned…

&&&

Three months passed quickly for them… waking nights and not much of a chance alone. After about two… she settled down and began sleeping mostly through the night… and for the past few weeks they had been catching up on sleep. So when she walked into their bedroom after putting her to sleep she wasn't all that shocked to see that Ichigo was sitting up waiting for her. He smiled as she walked over and snuggled into his arms. He took in a deep breath of her scent, burying his nose into her hair.

"I love you…" he whispered as their lips met. Her mind whirred as his hands unbuttoned her blouse.

"I love you to… by what's going on?" She laughed as he pulled her blouse down. Her hands tangled through his hair as his lips made their paths against her skin.

That night… he made love to her like it was going to be the last time…

He wanted to imprint her into his mind; the way her skin felt, her scent, the many curves and contours of her body. This was the woman he loved more than life itself, the mother of his beautiful daughter and the one he did not want to leave.

The one that didn't know he would be leaving her…

&&&

Rukia hummed lightly as they walked the next day. Ichigo smiled, his fingers tangled through hers. She leaned her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh, their baby tucked in the stroller in front of them. But for some reason… something was tugging at the back of her mind. The night before had been too perfect, it almost seemed planned… she felt him unhook his hand from hers and wrap and arm around her waist protectively. She looked around. He only did that when something was going on.

"Ichigo?" She asked and he pulled her hip closer, tightly against his. His hand gripping her hip with almost painful force. His other hand had lifted up his suit jacket over the gun on that side. She hated gun fights… she had hoped that their daughter would be spared the sounds of a gun fight this early in her life.

"When I tell you to run… take Misaki and run as fast as you can back home…" He whispered to her as the crowds parted around a tall man with long spikes in his hair. They stepped a little closer. "RUN! NOW!" He pulled out both of his guns and fired, the people in the street hit the ground as Rukia picked up baby Misaki and turned then she heard another shot, that one was not from Ichigo's gun. She swung around to see something that tore her heart to shreds.

"ICHIGO!" She screamed as blood spurted out of the side of his head. Suddenly a powerful arm wrapped around her waist and a hand over her mouth and nose. "ICHIGOOOO!" Her voice was grating, tears pouring down her face. "ICHIGOOO! ICHIGAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOO!" She heard the baby in her arms screaming, people screaming, her own screaming then suddenly nothing as her world went black.

&&&

XD

How are you doing? I'm doing awesome… Rukia isn't doing so hot…

Shalan


	18. By Myself

**Chapter: **By Myself

**Shalan's Say: **I had to explain to my dad's best friend about how I stay up until the wee hours in the morning to write for you guys (and to talk to my lovely beta Bella) But anyways… I was listening to By Myself by Linkin Park and Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin during this chapter; you can tell which if you pay attention…

&&&

When she came to Rukia's eyes were met with a familiar sight… the canopied bed of her old apartment. For a second she thought that everything that had happened was really just a dream. "What the hell… was everything just a dream…" Then as she sat up her sore breasts, heavy with milk throbbed slightly. "Ouch…" And she heard a baby cry. "Misaki…" she grumbled and stood up. "When did Ichigo bring me back here?" She wondered out loud. "Ichigo?" She asked, walking out into the hallway.

She walked into the room where she heard Misaki crying from and picked the baby up. "Hush now Misaki…" she cradled her baby in her arms. "Hush now…" she whispered, unbuttoning her pajama top. The baby eagerly accepted her breakfast and Rukia laughed

If Ichigo came in right now she would hate him. She remembered the first time she had told him about her endeavors as a breast feeding mother.

_"Ichigo!__ It would be better for the baby…" she told him and he sighed._

_"But it's weird… I mean… isn't that my job?" He chuckled and she smacked him. His hands gripped her big belly and gently palmed their way across the silky skin._

_"__Ichigo!__ Stop it!" She laughed as he pulled her close from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder._

_"I love you…" He smiled and kissed her on the lips._

_"I know you do…" she laughed and his palms rubbed across her belly again._

_"She is going to be the most beautiful baby… just like her mother…" He kissed her jaw._

_"She's going to be the kindest woman… just like her father…" she smiled as their lips met again. She turned around to kiss him harder as his hand waited until the baby kicked again._

"Oh… Ichigo…" She turned around as she heard footsteps. She froze as she saw Aizen in the doorway. "Y-You…" Ichigo's image flashed through her mind then suddenly everything flooded back into her head. Ichigo was dead…

"Hello Rukia… her name's Misaki right?" He walked over and she drew away.

"Sta-stay away from us…" She then stood her ground. Ichigo couldn't be dead. There was no way he could be dead… he would come and save her just like he did every time.

"Fine… just thought you should have this…" he flicked a Polaroid at her. "Don't think about going anywhere or contacting anyone… you're mine again sweetheart." He jerked her face forward and kissed her lips, walking out of the room.

She dropped to her knees as Misaki separated herself from her mother's breast. "Ichigo…" she whispered, picking up the Polaroid. It was a picture snapped of Ichigo's head. Blood was splattered all over the place, a three inch gash in his temple. "ICHIGO!" She screamed, tears pouring from her eyes, burying her face into her baby's blanket.

&&&

Ichigo frowned as he leaned back in the chair. "This is fucked… I told you people to fucking take care of her…" He slammed his fist against the table. A week after his brush with death the young detective was back on his feet and madder than a rattle snake.

"Listen… he moved faster than we thought…" Toshiro threw his hands up and a knife cut his cheek, flying past him into the wall. Uryu clicked his tongue.

"Look Ichigo… we still have one man on the inside… It'll take a bit to get him moving but we can get him to get her…" Uryu lifted a hand.

"YOU DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND DO YOU!? MY DAUGHTER AND MY FIANCE ARE IN A FUCKING TRAP! A TRAP THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!" Ichigo slammed his chair back and turned away from them, the muscles in his back rippling with anger.

"Ichigo…" Uryu placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"This wasn't a part of the plan…" the carrot-top's eyes darkened. "I know… but I love her Uryu…" he turned around.

"Ichigo… just let her go… she's just collateral…" Toshiro offered his hand and Ichigo's eyes opened wide.

"COLLATERAL!? THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND MY DAUGHTER? FUCKING COLLATERAL HITSUGAYA!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" He punched Toshiro in the face.

"Oop…" Kisuke tilted his chair legs back to the ground and stood up as Ichigo corner Toshiro, his fist seemingly never leaving his face as his elbow drew back over and over again. Kisuke hooked his arms up under Ichigo's, jerking him back. "CALM DOWN! THERE IS NO NEED TO HURT HIM!" Toshiro wiped the blood from his face, blood dripping from his nose and lower lip. Uryu snorted a laugh and handed him a towel.

Ichigo's breathing was labored and his eyes were furious, alight with livid energy. It almost seemed that a glare from the light shimmered across his irises as he stared at Toshiro. "Fcking collateral…"

"We could go get her back…" A voice spoke from the corner of the room. A tall man stood there, his arms folded across his chest. His spiky hair stuck up in long thorns.

"What do you suggest we do Zaraki? Gun them all down… that's such a delicate procedure…" Uryu turned his head towards Ichigo. "You're the brains of this operation… tell us what we're going to do next Captain…" Ichigo's shoulders straightened. Uryu was the only one who dared call him by his rank.

"We're going to do nothing…" Ichigo sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. Zaraki's jaw even dropped at that one. He turned his head to look at the mixed group. "We're going to split up and wait for the word from our insider… he'll keep her safe… right now…" Ichigo leaned on the table. He had never bothered to put a shirt on, his suit pants were buckled around his waist with a shiny leather belt… but his upper body was bare and glinting slightly. "Call Abarai and Madarame…" he looked at Uryu who nodded.

"So does she still not know that Abarai is involved in all of this?" Toshiro asked as he walked back in, his face clean now.

"No… I never told her… and I doubt he told her…" Ichigo smiled lightly. "We've got a few sleeper cells out there that he doesn't know about…"

"Did you get the doctors to put that chip in?" Urahara folded his arms.

"The GPS? Yeah… they put it in… the back of her neck… she should be easy to find unless she's surrounded by magnets," Ichigo shrugged. "That's easy enough… but we have to get her back… and Misaki…" His look darkened again.

"Call Abarai and Madarame and then what?" Uryu tried to get him to continue.

"Call them and tell them to be ready to move when necessary…" Ichigo laced his fingers together.

"Alright… what about our guy on the inside?" Uryu questioned.

"Let him stay there a while longer… tonight call him and tell him all that's going on.

&&&

"Yes… thank you…" Aizen nodded as the door opened. He waved at Gin to come in and the white haired man walked in.

"Hey… what's going on?" Gin asked as Aizen hung up.

"Everything's fucked…" Aizen replied.

"Why haven't you killed her yet?"

&&&

Rukia hummed lightly as Misaki ate. She felt her baby's belly get rounder as she drank. She was hungry today… "I love you darling…" she smiled softly. "It's too bad you didn't get to meet your father… he was a good man…" she smiled, leaning her head back against the rocking chair. "He was the best."

&&&

Months passed slowly for Ichigo… he dragged his feet, he didn't have Rukia anymore… he had to get her back… he knew this… but he had to think carefully… he couldn't just burst in there… that would ruin everything they'd been working for… but he wanted her back in his arms so badly that his heart told him to just take a couple of backups and go in and blow the place to pieces.

"I'm coming to save you baby…" he whispered as he looked at the picture taken of them with their two month old daughter in her arms. She was radiant, her smile shining even in the picture. "You're a trooper… you'll make it through this…"

&&&

"I haven't killed her because I have no reason to kill her…" Aizen looked through a sheaf of papers.

"NO REASON?" Gin's eyes widened. The black man in the corner turned his head towards them.

"You need to calm down…" He told the white haired man.

"Aizen…" Gin stood up and from within his jacket held up a gun. "This partnership… is over…" He pointed the gun at his head.

"You won't pull that trigger Ichimaru…" Aizen said then his grey matter splattered all over the freshly cleaned windows and on Ichimaru's white suit.

"Heh… I guess you found that out…" His eyes were filled with delight. "Tosen… go bring her to me… perhaps she should see her husband…" he tilted his head, his red eyes opened.

"Yessir…" He walked out.

&&&

HELLO XDDDDD

How are all of you? Are you starting to piece together what's going on around here? I am XD Finally… anyways… keep holding on… because there's a ton more to come in:

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW!

Shalan


	19. Bloody Sunrise

**Chapter: **Bloody Sunrise

**Shalan's Say: **Hmmm… I smell something… lemony? Maybe in the next chapter… perhaps perhaps… XD Would you all like me to write a nice hot sexy lemon for you all? MASAKI! IS! SO! CUUUUUTE!

1. Silencers are illegal in the United States

ONCE AGAIN! THIS IS NOT THE END! NOT NEAR IT! DON'T LEAVE ME YOU GUYS! JUST KEEP HANGING IN THERE!

&&&

Rukia laughed as her baby crawled towards her. At 6 months Masaki was extremely active and curious. Rukia was actually starting to find her a pain. She went everywhere with her mother, upset when Rukia would even leave the room. Though, now that she was crawling a little better she just followed Rukia around the apartment. Tosen smiled. He had befriended Rukia in the past few months that she had been around. Usually taking on his role of keeping Gin from hurting her.

"So how is she today?" He asked and she laughed as the baby crawled onto her stomach.

"She's alright… how are you?" She chuckled. Her life had slowly picked back up. She still believed Ichigo was dead… but Tosen had been commanded not to say anything to her. Of course, doing so would reveal that he was working for both sides.

"I'm doing peachy…" he said sarcastically. "May I ask you a question?"

"That's the last one…" she laughed as she cradled the baby in her arms, sitting up. "No, go ahead…" she smiled as Masaki giggled.

"Where did Ichigo hide the ring?" He asked her and she lifted an eyebrow.

"What ring Kaname?" She looked up.

"The diamond ring… I thought you knew about it…" He tilted his head. The blind man had never seen the diamonds before but he had heard they were magnificent.

"Oh… the one he gave me?" She asked and Tosen nearly spat out the tea he was drinking.

"What?" He nearly shouted. "I mean… what?" He leaned forward.

&&&

"How is she doing?" Ichigo asked as he answered the phone.

"Why didn't you tell me that you gave them to her?" Tosen asked Ichigo and he chuckled.

"Oh… that… it slipped my mind…" Ichigo drummed his fingers on the table. Uryu pursed his lips from across it in annoyance. "Oh stop!" he kicked his friend under the table.

"Well now I guess that I'm going to have to just keep my mouth shut won't I?" Tosen sighed. "Anyways… the bossman is talking about Rukia an awful lot… I think you guys better move your little… invasion up to tonight… otherwise… she won't make it through…" He said into the phone.

"Shit… Alright… keep an eye out… I mean… ear…" Uryu snorted at him and a foot was placed between his legs, ready to kick if need be.

"Yessir, if I hear anything I'll inform you don't you worry…" Tosen hung up the phone.

"So what's going on?" Uryu frowned.

"I didn't tell Tosen that Rukia has the diamonds…" he smiled.

"Rukia has the diamonds?" Uryu spewed beer across the table and Ichigo jumped back.

"What the hell! Watch where you're spitting that stuff!" Ichigo protested and Uryu wiped his mouth as Kazumi walked in.

"Why did you do that?" She blinked at him. He grinned sheepishly and Ichigo slapped his forehead.

"Sorry…" he grinned and she shook her head.

"No you're not… you were just being male…" she walked off.

"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" He shouted, leaning back in his chair. She walked by again and kissed him teasingly, sliding her hands down his body and into the front of his pants. She then walked off as his chair legs slipped and he fell onto his back. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" He shouted and she laughed from the other room. "See Ichigo… being married isn't that great…" he frowned as he set his chair back up.

"She's got some definite control over you…" Ichigo laughed and Uryu threw a look in the other direction where laughing could still be heard.

"Shut your mouth Kurosaki!" Uryu hissed at him and Ichigo laughed again.

"They're not even married and she has a baby…" Kazumi said as she walked past them again and Uryu rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry… do you want me to do something about it?" He leaned back in the chair again, his foot on the table. Ichigo snorted into his beer as she glared at Uryu as she walked by.

"You have an angry woman on your hands… why's that? Getting fragile in your old age?" Ichigo laughed as Uryu threw his empty can at him.

"Shut your mouth Kurosaki… now what did you come to talk about…"

"Aizen…" he leaned forward. Uryu leaned forward interestedly. Ichigo's eyebrows lifted as his eyes moved upwards. "Uhm… buddy… you might…" a hand grabbed him by the hair and Ichigo snorted again.

"You two better not be talking about anything treasonous… I'm not moving again…" she frowned at Uryu who grinned. She had his head jerked back to look at her.

"You're controlling…" Ichigo laughed.

"Someone has to keep him in line…" she smiled and let him go. Ichigo smiled back. She looked at Uryu with so much love in her eyes that he actually thought it was funny. To think the lieutenant with the big mouth and no respect for authority during wartime listened to everything his wife said.

"Now what's this about Aizen?" Uryu leaned forward again and Ichigo rested his elbows on the table.

"Aizen's dead… shot by his partner…"

"So you were right… Ichimaru was the one behind everything…" Uryu pursed his lips.

"Don't do that, you want me to kiss you or something?" Ichigo poked his forehead.

"So… you two ever going to tell me why I'm still being dragged around?" They heard a voice from above them and they looked up. Byakuya stood over them in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt under a jacket.

"Maybe…" Ichigo grinned.

"You going to tell me where my sister is?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"If I told you… you probably wouldn't like it… But I can tell you that Sony is yours again…" he smiled. Byakuya frowned.

"Where is Rukia?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"Sitting in her ivory tower awaiting her fair orange haired prince to come and rescue her from the evil dragon…" Uryu folded his arms behind his head.

"You don't know do you?" He frowned.

"Oh no… we know…" Ichigo grinned. "We just don't know how to get her back yet…" he drank from the beer can.

"Is that why we're here?" Byakuya asked, pulling up a chair.

"You're a business man… don't worry yourself with us militia…" Ichigo chuckled.

"Just so you know I was in the military for six years…" he folded his arms across his chest and Ichigo frowned.

"Hmmm… so you can handle a weapon?" Uryu lifted an eyebrow.

"Maybe… if you two let me in on what you're doing…" he leaned forward. Ichigo exchanged looks with Uryu.

"We're using you…" Ichigo leaned back in his chair, his foot on the table holding him back on the back legs of the chair.

"What?" He blinked.

"We were using Rukia to use you to get to Aizen… he's been doing some pretty dirty shit lately… embezzlement of funds, giving to the mob and the Yakuza…" he pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.

"Yakuza…" Byakuya parroted.

"Yeah… we figure…" Ichigo blew a puff of smoke into the air, "that his involvement with them has something to do with the Yakuza member that works for him…" Uryu tossed Byakuya the folio. "One Gin Ichimaru."

"So what have you got on him?" Byakuya asked as he read through the file.

"Not much… he's pretty good at covering his tracks… but he's got something that we want…" Ichigo blew a smoke ring into the air.

"What happened to quitting?" Uryu tilted his head to the side and Ichigo looked over at him.

"I have enough stress in my life… I don't need to worry about not smoking too… I'll quit once I get Rukia back…"

"I know the building they're holding her in…" Byakuya looked over at them. "I can get you in…" Uryu and Ichigo exchanged looks then slowly turned their heads towards Byakuya. One of his eyes was narrowed, his lips cocked in a half smile.

&&&

She smiled as they got out of the van. "Be careful…" she whispered to him and Uryu smiled at her.

"I'm always careful…" he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, hard enough to make her knees buckle. "I'm not going to die in there…" he stroked his thumbs across her eye lids, wiping tears away.

"Don't… don't you dare…" she whispered to him. Ichigo watched as they kissed again, her arms wrapping around his neck, their lips meeting in a passion filled kiss that could be the last but didn't want to be.

"I love you…" he stroked her hair back from her face.

"I love you, too…" she kissed him again.

_…it's a rather large building… __fifteen stories high made almost completely of glass_…

Ichigo and Uryu stepped into the janitor's entrance, Ichigo screwing on the silencer onto his gun(1).

_…the only way you two are going to get in unnoticed is the janitor's entrance. It's a separate door on the left side of the building… there will probably be guards there knowing the way they work… so be prepared…_

"I'm clear Kisuke…" Ichigo walked slowly through the room, Uryu's back pressed to his.

"Yep… there's no one in the… wait…" Uryu lifted the gun as they heard a shout.

"HEY!" Uryu shot him in the forehead, grabbing him before he hit the floor.

"Good shot Ishida… you haven't lost your touch yet." Ichigo unzipped the janitor's suit and pulled it off, pulling out his regular clothes from within the duffel bag.

_…from there you'll have to make it to the top floor, that's where I put her safe house… I put it there incase she needed to be held away from a stalker or something…_

"He made this place too damn hard to get into…" Uryu hissed as he pulled out his lap top and set it on the table next to the security system.

"Alright… I've figured out the system…" Kazumi's voice came over his earphone as he unzipped the blue uniform.

"Thanks babe…" Uryu chuckled into the ear piece as he hooked the computer up. "Tell me all about it…"

"I'm pregnant…" he blinked.

"What a fucking time to tell me…" he grumbled under his breath.

"It was now or never…" she told him. "I'm pregnant… we're going to have a baby boy in six months…" he heard her laugh. "Now… the system won't be that hard to crack… I'll get it set up and you guys should probably get your… way in…" the video on the screen of her husband was a sad one. His face was worried and she smiled, wiping tears from her eyes. "I love you…" she smiled and he nodded.

"I love you too…"

_…once you get past the security system you have to deal with the guards. Knowing __Ichimaru__ he'll have guards at every door… you guys are going to have to be very careful…_

&&&

Rukia smiled as she put Masaki to bed, pulling the blankets up around her and tucking her in. She patted the sleeping baby and turned, walking out of the baby's room and shutting the door behind her.

"Hello Rukia darling…" she heard the cold voice of Ichimaru and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. "How are you doing?" He walked towards her and she closed her eyes.

"Stay away from me!" She swung around and slammed her back against the wall unknowingly and he leaned in. Suddenly her past flashed before her eyes. Her rape. Her eyes met his as he opened them.

"So you've figured it out huh baby…" he pressed his body against hers and she screamed her mind whipping through the images of her rape.

"HELP ME!"

…somebody… help me…

&&&

Ichigo stepped quietly through the hallways, Uryu behind him, walking backwards. "Everything's clear on this floor…" Uryu whispered.

"It would seem so…" Ichigo relaxed slightly. "We're almost there…" he looked up. "One more floor…" He had emptied nearly 12 clips from each handgun in the past 30 minutes. He dropped the clips and reloaded again as they walked up the next set of stairs.

That was when they heard it. Rukia's scream for help. Ichigo's heart stopped. He had been right. He hated being right… he sprinted up the stairs and burst through the door to the landing only to be met with gun point. "Fuck." Ichigo breathed. Uryu rolled his eyes.

"Good job captain…" Uryu nodded as they sat tied back to back.

"You're very welcome lieutenant…" Ichigo hissed back and Uryu tilted his head back against Ichigo's.

"We're going to die…" he whispered and tears filled his eyes.

"Probably…" He nodded in return. Uryu's chest heaved.

"Jesus… she's pregnant…" tears dripped down his face, "I'm never going to get to see my son…" he whispered.

"You always were religious… just look at it this way… if god wants us to live… we'll live… at least… we can look at it that way…" The butt of a gun smacked the side of Ichigo's head, hard.

"SHUT UP!" The guard commanded and they fell silent, blood dripping from the fresh wound on Ichigo's head.

"I always… thought… that if I had a son… I would name him Ryuu…" he whispered to Ichigo and he nodded.

"I remember that… when we were talking that night under the stars… you were bleeding from that wound to the leg…" Ichigo chuckled.

"Yeah… you dragged me all the way to the city to get medical care only to find the gates were closed…" Uryu smiled.

"Even after you were a dick to me…" Ichigo smiled and felt his friend's chest heave again.

"Ichigo…" Ichigo felt a cold knife on his hands. "I'm going to get you out of here…" He cut through the ropes. "Tell Ryuu about me when he's old enough… tell him what kind of a man I was… even the bad stuff… you know… the kind of stuff only you would know…" His voice was shaking.

"What are you planning you son of a bitch?" Ichigo growled.

"Ichigo… when I get started… you just go… go get Rukia and that beautiful baby girl… and you kiss and hug them… you hold her close… and don't you dare fucking let her go…" he was breathing harder, and Ichigo gabbed his hands.

"You're not going anywhere…" He told him harshly. Uryu shook his head and Ichigo knew he was serious. "You're like my fucking brother Ishida… you are not going to leave me like this you son of a bitch… you have a little boy on the way and a wife that's waiting for you to come home…"

"And I have a brother who's trying to tell me that I should stay…" Uryu laughed softly. "Tell Kazumi… tell her I love her… tell her that I'll see her on the other side… tell her… that I… I fought and died to save her… and I'll hold my last breath, thinking about her…" he whispered then jumped up and Ichigo, only acting instinctively dove to the side and grabbed his guns. He heard two shots and swung around easily taking out the guards. His best friend lay on the ground, blood pouring from the wounds in his chest and stomach.

"Just hold on buddy…" Ichigo told him and his hands grabbed Ichigo's left, pulling his gun to his head. "No…" Ichigo teared up as Uryu put his finger on Ichigo's. "NO!" He pulled his hand away. "You are going to live…" He picked him up over his shoulder. "We are going to get out of this shit! Alive and together!" He told him and ran towards the glass door, gunning down the two guards in his way. "FUCK YOU!" He kicked down the door as he saw Gin jump out a broken window into a helicopter.

"GOOD LUCK GETTING OUT OF THE BUILDING BEFORE IT EXPLODES!" Gin laughed and waved at them. Ichigo shot at the helicopter but didn't hit anyone as it flew away.

"FUCK YOU!" He turned and there she was, looking a little roughed up but beautiful as ever, their baby in her arms. "Rukia…" he whispered then remembered what Gin said. "C'mon…" he grabbed her stunned hand and took off sprinting down the stairs.

"Uryu!" His wife's voice spoke in his ear piece. "Uryu! I heard gunshots! What's going on!" Blood spilled from his mouth as he tried to answer. "Uryu…" he heard her begin to cry. "Hold on baby… we'll get you to a hospital… please hold on… please just listen to my voice… hold onto my voice…" he heard her voice fade away as blood spilled from his mouth.

…I'm sorry baby… he thought as he closed his eyes, darkness surrounding him…

"NO YOU DON'T!" An explosion shook the building and Ichigo almost paused. "RUN!" He pushed her down faster in front of him. "RUN FASTER RUKIA!" He fell behind slightly as the reached the first floor.

"ICHIGO!" She called to him as they hit the floor. Ichigo pushed her out the door, tripping as he did. She flew out and tumbled, the baby clutched safely in her arms.

"Looks like… we're gonna die together buddy…" Ichigo's tears mingled with the blood and dirt on his face. "Looks like we're gonna die together…" He threw himself over his friend as everything around them exploded.

&&&

That morning… there was a blood red sunrise that rose above the wreckage… a bloody sunrise…


	20. Nasty Naughty Boy

**Chapter: **Nasty Naughty Boy

**Shalan's Say: **Woo… that was some chapter wasn't it? I'm so glad that all of you joined me for my favorite kind of chapter… LEMONS! And besides... I really don't want Genny62890 to explode... I hate exploding people... there's a ton more to come after this... so hang onto your seats

**WARNING ADULT CONTENT**: If you don't like it and you're still reading this story I have no idea what the hell you're smoking…

&&&

Ichigo smiled as the little girl that was curled in his arm stretched on her back on the bed. She giggled as her father tenderly poked her belly. "I just love your belly…" he laughed and blew a raspberry on her stomach making her squeal with delight. He looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. Rukia looked pissed and he could understand why.

_"YOU WERE USING ME?" She screamed at him. Ichigo threw his arms up in the air._

_"Rukia!"__ He tried to touch her but she drew away._

_"I KNEW YOU WERE FUCKING JUST LIKE THEM! WHY THE HELL DID I EVER LET MYSELF THINK YOU WEREN'T?" She threw an ash tray at him and he caught it._

_"I HAVE A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE WHILE SAVING YOUR ASS AND THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN I GET HOME IS SHOUT AT ME?" He almost threw it back but he stopped himself._

_"AND ALL THAT BULLSHIT ABOUT LOVING ME!"__ She turned on her heel and he grabbed her wrist._

_"Rukia…" she swung around and slapped him across the face._

"What do you want…" he looked down at the little baby who squealed with delight as he blew another raspberry on her belly.

"My baby…" she told him as he smiled, kissing the baby girl on the forehead.

"She's my baby too you know…" he tucked his hand under the little baby's head. Rukia looked between them as they both gave her the same look. The little carrot-top had messy orange hair like her father's though Rukia was sure that it would be different once it grew out. Her brilliant blue eyes shimmered with delight as her father blew another raspberry on her stomach. She squealed again, her laughter echoing in the house.

"Ichigo… she needs to be put to bed…" she protested and he sighed, picking his daughter up in his arms.

"C'mon little one… bed time…" Ichigo walked towards the nursery that had been prepared for her. Rukia followed to make sure he didn't just take her and leave. He had returned from going to the hospital only a few hours earlier from visiting Uryu… so he was dressed in one of his Armani suits and Rukia chuckled, walking into the other room. "I love you baby girl…" he leaned down and kissed his daughter, his eyes filled with love. "Someday you'll know how much…" he stroked the side of her head. "Go to sleep now baby girl…" he rested a large hand against her round belly, his thumb wrapped in her hand. She closed her eyes, sealing her self for the night under her father's warm hand.

"Ichigo…" he heard a lowered and sensual voice from the doorway… He turned around and there she was. "See something you like?" Her black hair was down, hung and straight as a rail. Her modest breasts were clad in a black lace push up and the black boyshorts that clung to her hips and crown nearly drove him mad. The long ribbons that wrapped up her calves were tied neatly on the sides.

"Ru…" his voice squeaked. "Rukia…" He swallowed hard. She grabbed him by his tie and pulled him out of the nursery and shut the door, pulling him into the kitchen. The dim moonlight that was coming through the kitchen window illuminated her entire figure. She pushed him back into the wooden kitchen chair. He tilted his head back slightly. She was planning something. And he wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

"Don't say anything…" she whispered as she straddled his lap as she slid off his jacket to the chair beneath him. This already wasn't going well. She pulled him down slightly so his back curved, his hips tilted towards her. She reached her hands back and suddenly he remembered. She grabbed the hand cuffs from his belt and hooked his hands together behind the chair, wrapping the short chain between one of the rungs. "Just relax…" she pressed herself up against him, grinding herself against his hips. "Now you want to tell me that you were just using me?" She continuously shifted against him and he groaned. It was worse that she had him so that he couldn't touch her. She shifted her body forward. "You want some…" she chuckled as he leaned his head forward, craning to kiss the valley between her breasts but she leaned back, her hands gripping the sides of the chair as she ground herself up against him. He let out another groan and bucked his hips back. She grinned.

"Just relax…" she stood up and he whined, watching her walk away. She walked around behind him and he tilted his head back. She loosened his tie and pulled it off.

"What are you doing?" He watched her as she walked back around to face him.

"You're going to regret lying to me…" she blind folded him with his own tie and he hissed at her only to have it turn into a whine as she straddled him, backwards. Her tight ass pressed against his navel, his growing erection rubbing deliciously against her as she ground her hips into him. He jerked on the handcuffs.

"Bugger…" he resigned as her hands slid down and around the back of his body to hold his ass, holding him tighter against her as she continued her torture. His breathing labored he jerked his hips upwards and she grinned, he was getting impatient. She turned around, easily placing her heels back on the floor, still grinding her hips against him. Her fingers unbuttoned his shirt slowly her lips following her fingers down his chest. "Take… the belt off…" he commanded through gritted teeth and she ground herself harder against him. His pants were far too tight. He groaned loudly as her hand reached between them and ran along the hardened length.

"I don't think so…" she whispered, nipping and sucking on his ear lobe. He whimpered and as she drew away tried to catch a kiss from her lips. She pulled away from him and ground her hips hard and slowly against him, letting his entire length rub against her barely covered self. He groaned again, this time it was her name and she loved it. So she kissed his chest slowly, making her way down his muscled stomach and navel to the belt around his waist. She could see it, the growing bulge in his pants. She tilted her head as she slowly unbuttoned his belt, hearing him groan.

"Rukia…" His head tilted back as she slowly unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them. As soon as she pulled them down around his feet his boxers tented and she smiled. "Fuck don't you dare…" he felt her fingers on the band of his boxers and he moan lightly as the cotton slid along him. It was painful he had come to discover. She wanted him this way. She leaned forward after pulling the boxers down with his pants. Her lips kissed his tip, tenderly and Ichigo groaned. "Fuck…" it came out slow and steady like a drawn out sigh. Then her lips closed over him, her tongue massaging the sensitive flesh. She took half of him into her mouth and he groaned again as she sucked, gently. He groaned out loud as her tongue lashed against his stretched and hot flesh. He moaned again, bucking his hips into her as she took all of him in, sucking as he slid down her throat.

"Oh shit…" he panted as he broke into a sweat, her elbows rested on his knees, holding his legs down as she gripped the edges of the chair. He bucked his hips into her again. Dying to slide deeper into the slick throat he was already in. She knew he was already close. He wasn't used to her getting him this hot and bothered like this. Sweat dripped off his face and down his chest as she snaked her head, letting her teeth brush him as she her head bobbed slightly. Ichigo hated this, he couldn't touch her, he couldn't see her, all he could do was wait until she decided she was finished. If he had his way he would have grabbed her head already and thrust himself down her throat.

"Rukia!" He almost begged, he was so damn close he thought could fall at any second. She hummed lightly and the vibrations just made him groan louder. "I'm almost…" then she did something that severely pissed him off. She pulled her head away from him and stood up.

"There?" She lifted an eyebrow, looking as his sweat soaked body. He really was a figure of beauty. His muscular body shining in the dim moonlight, his member fully erect and his hands chained to the chair. She chucked and walked off, pulling the blindfold off and as he watched her tight ass walk out of the room he nodded his head. She had set him up from the beginning. But that wasn't going to stop him… he was going to get a piece of that ass tonight… if it killed him. Which… as he yanked on the cuffs… it just might.

Rukia hummed lightly as she pulled off her underwear, stepping into the brilliantly hot water. He would be there for a while.

Ichigo struggled against the cuffs. "Bugger! Bugger bugger bugger!" He got frustrated and jerked the chair around. "FUCK!" He shouted. How dare she?! HOW DARE SHE! He jerked his hands again. "BUGGER BUGGER!" He strained and froze as he heard the chair give partially. "Gun!" He scooted the chair towards his ammunition belt that she had thrown. He kicked his shoes off and unbuckled the little strap on the holster. "Gun gun gun…" he hummed as he pulled the weapon out with his toes. He scooted with the gun to the counter and slid it back until he heard it hit the wall beneath the counter. He leaned the chair back against the counter and slipped his hands down, straining. "Gun…" His fingers brushed the polished metal. "Must… reach…" he felt the chair slip a little and his finger looped through the trigger ring, pulling the gun up with him as he set the chair up.

Rukia scrubbed her body lightly with a devilish grin on her face. She heard a gunshot and her head jerked to the side. He cursed loudly and she chuckled. She had wrapped the cuffs around twice.

"BUGGER! DAMN WOMAN!" He stood up slightly, bucking his hips out as he pressed his heels against the chair legs. He jerked his arms again, fixing the other legs against the cabinet. "BUG-GER!" He grunted as he heard the satisfying crunch as his muscles flexed, pulling to their full capacity. "Hah…" He yanked his hands free. "Gotta get my hands in front…" he sat down on the floor and slid his hands, his left with blood running down in, underneath his own butt, sliding one leg back and lacing it through as he dislocated his shoulder, slipping his leg through. He slipped the other through and grinned, happy with himself.

She blinked as he stood in the shower door. "Good evening…" Ichigo grinned sexily as he pushed the door open. She backed up as he shut it behind him. She was cornered now. "Would you be so kind… as to remove these handcuffs?" He reached out and slipped his arms around her head and shoulders down to her waist. "Or shall I remove them myself?" He pushed her up against the wall of the shower as his hands reached for her conditioner.

"You can't do that…" she smiled as he dumped conditioner on his hands and rubbed his hands with it including his wrists.

"You wanna bet?" Suddenly he pulled his hands back and held up the hand cuffs by one finger. "Not possible huh?" He grinned and she frowned.

"How'd you Houdini your way out of that one?" Her frown grew. He smiled sexily.

"Now it's time you learned your lesson love…" He leaned forward and his lips met hers. Her hands ripped his soaked shirt off his body, her hands dragging down his back. He groaned into her mouth as he brushed her inner thigh. But she wasn't done. Her hand grabbed him, squeezing and he groaned again. But no… he wasn't going to let her do that. "You're going to pay…" he skipped the ritual foreplay and dove straight for an easy score but surprised her when he turned her around, bending her over, her arm twisted behind her back. He hand cuffed her hands to the shower bar and spread her legs, pushing into her. She cried his name and he tilted his head back.

"This is your lesson for today… so learn it… and learn it good," he spoke as he thrust into her. "Never… ever… ever…" he bucked his hips with each word, hearing her moan from beneath him. It was something new for her. She hated it… but liked it at the same time and as his hands gripped her hips she moaned out loud. "EVER! Leave me chained to a bloody chair…" he ground himself into her bending over, his chest pressed tightly against her back. Her cries built as he bucked his hips steadily into her.

"Ichigo!" He heard her insist as he moved harder, rougher, faster than before. His hands teased her breasts as his lips ghosted across her shoulders. Her eyes rolled back into her head. This position… wasn't half bad… her hands gripped the hand cuffs that were around her wrists as she felt her knees buckle under the pressure. His hands hooked around her shoulders, gripping them tightly.

His hips ground into hers as he jack hammered himself into her, the force that he was applying sending her mind wildly into the abyss until the only thing left in the world was his body and hers, tangled in a knot of pleasure as his body ground against hers. She had proven her point and he had proven his… but when her knees gave when she came and when he fell off and over the edge after her… for some reason… everything in the world seemed to turn back to normal. She was with him, he was with her… they didn't need anyone else in the world at that moment… just each other.

And as he lifted her, uncuffing her hands from the bar she knew… that that was all they needed anyways… each other…

&&&

Rukia yawned and stretched, sometime in the early morning. She smiled over at the sleeping Ichigo, who had their daughter curled in the crook of his arm. She had decided that she wanted to sleep with them… fortunately she decided after he had proven his point to her mother. He had one arm wrapped around his fiancé's waist and the other arm curled around his baby daughter. Rukia smiled. Ichigo was a weird guy…

"Good morning…" he whispered and kissed her. She smiled against his lips and chuckled.

"She slept all night…" Rukia stroked her baby's head gently. "Good… cause we didn't…" she smiled as Ichigo's arm tightened around her waist, a smile on his face, his eyes closed.

"I love you…"

"I know you do…" she smiled as his hand gently rubbed her abdomen. "I love you, too…" she shifted so that their daughter rested between them, her head on her father's arm. She leaned forward, rested her head against his shoulder as his free arm wrapped around her waist.

"Marry me Rukia…" he whispered and she looked into his eyes. "Please…" his hand slid up her body to her face, gently cupping the side of her face.

"Ichigo…" she sighed and he dragged her lips to his.

"Marry me…"

"I will…" she whispered back as the taste of his lips invaded her mouth again. "Ichigo… the baby…" she chuckled and Masaki shifted grumpily.

"Oh… damn…" he grumbled.

"You woke the queen up…" Rukia pulled the little one up. "Good morning darling…" she smiled and Ichigo pulled her over again, her back pressing against his chest as she curled the baby against her chest.

Everything was going to be alright.

&&&

HIIIII!

Aren't you glad you hung around? Hmmmmm?

Shalan


	21. Points of Authority

**Chapter: **Points of Authority

**Shalan's Say: **Hot damn… I loved that chapter… anyways… there's a lot more to go guys… that's not the end and neither is this… stay with me people! I have a ton more planned for Somewhere Over the Rainbow… and you may have noticed that I finally changed them from the just the chapters to the chapter titles… XDDDD I was being lazy before… uhm… I really just wanted to cover a few basics here… I wanted to see the feelings between Uryu and Kazumi after being so close to loosing each other… and I'm hopefully going to be introducing a new pairing that should play a very important role in chapters to come… so hang in there…

**Side Note**: Just thought you should know that you should probably have some tissues handy… there is a scene that had me crying while I was writing it… but that's just me… if you don't cry then that's alright but if you've cried or nearly cried at this story before… then you'll probably cry during this chapter at some point…

**Note #2**: XDDDD If there are any errors in this... I'm sorry I finished it at like 2 AM XDDDD

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"Seven months… you must think you're hot shit huh?" Ichigo laughed as he lay on the ground to the cottage they had been moved to. The little baby crawled towards him and he grabbed her swinging her into the air. "HA! I've got you now!" He laughed, bending a knee up as the little baby squealed and laughed. His jeans slid a little lower as he bent his other knee up and placed his baby daughter on his bare stomach.

"Don't say things like that to her!" Rukia warned from the couch where she was reading a magazine. He looked up at her innocently.

"Like what?" He blinked as the little girl crawled across his chest to his hands and grabbed onto his index finger. He looked slightly confused but laughed as she tried to grab his other hand. "Stop that!" He chuckled and gently picked her up again. Rukia watched at Ichigo played with their daughter, laughing the entire time.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really did break a chair with your bare hands or not…" she said softly and he paused in his movements and looked back up at her with a soft smile. She smiled back and he flipped over, Masaki already on the floor above his head. He placed his lips to her bare stomach and blew. Squeals of delight rang through the house as the baby laughed.

"Sometimes I wondered if you delivered her… she's too sweet…" he laughed as Rukia smacked his head. He picked up the baby and set her down on the couch, walking towards his wife. She watched him as he stepped closer, she hated it when he walked slowly… it was like troll speed. He jumped on her and she laughed.

"No! NO NO NO!" She laughed as he crawled closer and grabbed her.

"Maybe her mommy wants one too!" He pulled her shirt up and Rukia tried to get away from him but his powerful arms held her there as he blew as a raspberry on her stomach.

"Ichigo!" He heard her shout as she laughed and hit his shoulder. He let go of her and laughed at her. "That wasn't funny!"

"Yes… oh yes it was…" he nodded and scooped up Masaki as a pillow was thrown at him. "Stop that!" He laughed and stumbled over his jeans and fell over backwards, disappearing behind the couch.

"Ichigo!?" She jumped up and ran around the couch. He groaned lightly, Masaki wide eyed on his chest. He blinked. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She held up two fingers.

"Two… I'm okay… just… the wind… knocked out…" he laughed as she took his hand and pulled him up to standing.

"Don't scare me like that…" Rukia said softly as she wrapped her arms around his abdomen. She pressed her cheek to his warm chest and shoulder, holding herself there with her eyes closed.

"What'd you think I'm gonna die from something like that?" He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her petite frame, the other arm cradling Masaki. Rukia didn't answer but simply smiled, her eyes opening a crack.

"No… you're tougher than that… but it would be funny…" she looked up at him and he look stunned.

"How dare you! I'm going to have to teach you a lesson!"

"Alright… I can go for a lesson… I need a refresher…" she smiled as his lips met hers. "But wait until Masaki goes to sleep…" She laughed.

&&&

Uryu walked into the house with a heavy and painful sigh. He pulled off his jacket and looked over into the den. His wife lay sleeping on the couch, the TV still on. Her hand was curved around her swollen belly. He walked over and delicately pulled the blanket she was under over her feet and slid his fingertips up her curves to pull the blanket up a little higher. As he turned to walk away a hand caught his and he turned around. The baby blue eyes that he had fallen in love with looked up at him, sleep fogged but beautiful. He let go of her hand and placed a hand gently against the side of her face.

"Uryu…" his name fell off her lips as she lifted herself from her place on the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled, pressing his lips to her neck as he wrapped his arms, albeit painfully, around his wife. The pain that throbbed in the wounds in his chest were nothing compared to the love he felt for the woman in his arms, and she made his pain fly out the window. For the first time, in a long time, tears dripped down his face as their lips met.

He didn't say anything; something stopped him every time he tried. Sometimes it was the lump in his throat when he thought about leaving her alone, sometimes it was her lips against his… yet others it was feeling the bulge of her stomach against her navel.

Her tears mingled with his as his hands gently gripped her face. It wasn't the best or hottest kiss they had ever experienced, it was however, the most awaited; the kiss that the two had been longing for since he had walked into that building.

"I love you…" she whispered so softly that he almost had to strain to hear it, but once it did reach his ears it was like butterflies rose in his stomach all over again. "Don't make me wait anymore…"

"I take risks Kazumi… that's what my job is all about… you knew that when you married me…" he replied as she pressed her forehead against his. He hated seeing her in pain… but the truth was something she had to come to terms with. "I don't want to die… oh god I don't want to leave you… but you have to understand that risks come with what I do…"

"Then don't do it…" she said it, but she knew that it was futile; fighting was in his blood, the thrill of a gun battle the adrenaline that pumped through his veins when he pilled the trigger… there was no way around it. He knew she was fighting against it, the truth that she couldn't get around… was that someday… he might not come home…

"Kazumi…" she let a fresh wave of hot tears pour down her face as she buried her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, resting a hand on the back of her head and pressing his nose in her hair, she always smelled the same, like cinnamon apple… it made him smile, such a comforting smell… not erotic or mind blowing, just a simple homely scent that made his heart twinge.

They stayed that way for some time until her sobs subsided and she looked up at him. His eyebrows lifted slightly and she smiled. "I love you so much… and because I love you… I will stay right here and wait for you…" tears dripped from her eyes, clinging to her eye lashes like balls of shiny dew, clinging to the petals of a rose, awaiting the moment that they would have to fall to the ground.

"Don't worry angel… I won't keep you waiting for much longer…" she rested her chin on his shoulder as he pressed his face into her neck. She leaned her head against his and smiled through her tears.

"You called me angel again…" she smiled. "You haven't called me that in a long time…" her voice was softer than silk on his mind. He just wanted her to keep talking… keep talking to him.

"I'll call you angel for a long time to come…" his lips met hers again and she smiled, that was a promise…

&&&

Toshiro leaned back in his chair. It seemed that he was the only one left of their squad. He looked over at the picture of the four of them. Ichigo stood on the far left, an arm wrapped around Uryu's neck and a beer bottle in his hand. Kisuke had his arm around Uryu's neck as well, his other hand held a margarita in a glass bowl. In front was himself, Uryu had dragged him into the picture, he was falling towards the camera and the others were laughing, hard.

Ichigo, he'd proven himself hundreds of times over but this time took the cake… he still pursued their mission even after he was married and had a daughter. The orange haired young man had a history further back than any of them. Even with his military experience there was still more behind him than Toshiro had ever imagined. Now he had even more to fight for than just survival.

Uryu, the blue eyed young man that Toshiro would have never pinned as being the type to do Ichigo's line of work; it just went against everything Toshiro had learned. The blue eyed gunslinger had more to fight for than most, since he fought for his life everyday; fighting to stay alive for his wife.

Kisuke, the only one in the group who didn't surprise anyone as to what he was going to do. He went on to do what he loved most: wreaking havoc. He did everything, he was more than just a gun slinger, he was their jack of all trades that covered their asses when they needed it. Feigning involvement when all he was doing was getting something out of it… Toshiro shook his head.

He looked over to the other picture on his desk, his mentor, Jushiro Ukitake. He had come to him with information on Ichigo. A few things that Toshiro hadn't known. Ichigo's past was twisted and tangled with lies. He had been lied to when he had joined the military, he had been lied to when he had joined their operation… hell, he had been lied to by the police department. So he fought for everything that was true and pure in the world.

Jushiro had explained to him that the reason Ichigo still fought so hard was because he believe that there was still some good in the world.

"Toshiro?" He heard a soft voice from behind him. He turned around in his chair only to see his good friend standing in the hallway. Momo Hinamori had been there for him through even the darkest times.

"Momo…" He blinked then stood up, walking towards her as he noticed the dark bruise beneath her left eye. It tore at his heart to see her hurt. "Momo, what happened?" He gently gripped her wrist, letting her know that he wasn't going to hurt her. She blinked tears back then dove into his arms. He blinked, she had never done this before… she hadn't hugged him since they were little kids…

"Toshiro… I'm sorry… they found out… and fired me…" she cried into his chest and he gently brought his arms down and wrapped them around her.

"What are you babbling about Momo?" He looked down at her and she looked up with wide eyes.

"They fired me… Ichimaru fired me… he threw me out of the building and told me not to come back… he figured it out…" she choked and his eyes widened. Shit. That was the only thing that came to mind. He suddenly realized that he was going to be the one that was going to have to tell Ichigo about this.

"Damn it!" He jerked away from her and she stumbled. He slammed his fist into the wall. "GREAT! Now we've lost our only inside source! MOMO! Why couldn't you have been MORE CAREFUL!" He shouted at her and she looked taken aback. He had never shouted at her before.

"I'm sorry Toshiro…" she hung her head and he threw his hands up.

"Is there anyone in the world who can do anything right? This whole mission's fucking falling through the-roof…" she slapped him hard across the face, his head snapping to the side and he blinked. "Mo-mo?"

"You can't just keep treating me like a tool!" She shouted at him. She was usually such a quiet creature… so why was she shouting at him?

"What?" He blinked as he realized what she was talking about. He had been just using here. Of course he was; he always used her when he needed her. He saw tears come to her eyes and spill down across her flushed cheeks and drip off her chin. "Momo…" he said and she buried her face into his chest again.

"Toshiro I don't want to be used by you… I want to help you…" she choked through her tears. "I wa-ant… to help you…" he listened as she struggled for air. He had only seen her sob one other time in her life, when her kitten had been run over by a car. She had sobbed so hard that he had to go to the other room and change his shirt.

"I…" there was no excuse for what he had done for his best friend. The one who had done everything with him, gone through everything with him… he had broken her trust and ruined their friendship.

"Toshiro… don't apologize you dumbass… just tell me that you're not going to use me anymore… not against my will anyways…" He blinked, that sounded suggestive.

"Okay… I won't…" he nodded and smiled lightly as another one of the officers walked into his office. He held up a finger to him and he nodded, backing out of the office. "Now just tell me everything that you can…" he pulled her back and she nodded.

&&&

Ichigo sighed softly, wrapped in his wife's arms in a warm homemade quilt… there could be nothing better. He tilted his chin up as she shifted, planting a line of soft kisses up his neck. He smiled and she leaned her head back on the pillow. "What's wrong you too tired to continue?" He chuckled as she snuggled up against his chest. She nodded, closing her eyes. "You won't even talk to me? The man who gave you Masaki?" she shook her head, keeping her face pressed against his chest.

He gripped her head tightly and pulled her head back, pushing his tongue into her mouth and exploring again, much to her disgruntlement. She pulled away but joined with a soft moan as his tongue lashed hers. He was a damn horn dog.

&&&

Kisuke walked off the airplane silently. He thought about his buddies back in the states and sighed deeply. He was starting to wish… that he had something like they did. He was disheveled and rather road worn. He had been travelling for nearly three days. He had been forced to drive across the United States to get to JFK, New York's airport. During that time he had taken one bath and not eaten hardly anything except a bag of peanuts on the plane.

He caught a cab and it drove him to his East London duplex where he paid the driver and got out, walking to his front door. He put his key in the lock and the door swung open. His tired eyes opened wide as suddenly a pair of dark skinned arms wrapped around his neck.

"Yoruichi?" He blinked as she pulled him into a hug. He smiled into her soft skin and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You came home safely…" she smiled. She was the one person he could count on. She always seemed to be there when he thought he had nothing left. "Next time take me with you so I can make sure you don't kill yourself…" she smiled as his lips met hers. She laughed as he pushed her up against the foyer wall, dropping his bags on the ground.

"Yeah… you can come with me…" he told her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She pulled his button down shirt open and off, dropping it off on the floor as her sweatshirt joined it. He tore her pants off and threw her back onto the couch.

"So what are you going to do now? Make love to me or ravish me?" She asked as he unbuckled and unbuttoned his jeans, shredding them off.

"What? Have you suddenly become a damsel in distress?" He stretched himself over her, pinning her to the couch. She grinned like a Cheshire cat as her hand slid tantalizingly down his chest and navel. "I'm going to fuck you…" he finished as she kissed him, dragging him down into her vice-like grip.

&&&

XDDDD I had fun with that chapter… It took me forever to write it because… glares at Beta and Matt… they kept me talking all the time… and I COULDN'T GET ANYTHING DONE! OMG! I don't even sleep with them around anymore… anyways… there's a lot more to come… I just had to give you guys a few breather chapters… before we go in for the final stretch…

Shalan


	22. Leaving On A Jet Plane

**Chapter: **Leaving On A Jet Plane

**Shalan's Rant: **Okay… I have had several people ask me why I never use _shudders_ Orihime… you want to know why? Because she's the most useless character in Bleach and she really has no point to begin with. Putting Uryu with her is a sin to his character. I'm not mad at your for asking… I'm just telling you what I think of her… and what most people think of her. NEVER in the entire series does she ever show that she has some skill or talent… the only thing she can do is summon fairies from her hair and she does a bang-up job of that. She's a useless character and I might also point out that she isn't helping Rukia currently in the Japanese series? She's currently just standing over her dead body like the stupid bitch she is… the only reason I believe she should exist is because she has to bring Rukia back to life…

…in short… Orihime… is a useless whiny bitch that can't do a damn thing without her "Kurosaki-kun" and she always seems to need Uryu there to save her ass… the day that Orihime dies… I will celebrate so loudly that you all will be able to hear it no matter how far away you live from Kansas City, Missouri…

Thanks for letting me rant… I had to get that off my chest… now… onto the next fun filled chapter… wait… hold on… my beta has just informed me that you said something about Tatsuki… uhm… I have no idea why I didn't put them together. XDDD I didn't think about it… sorry…maybe I'll go back and change the names and have a RenTat pairing… XDDD

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"So what are his weak points?" Ichigo leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. Uryu sat at the table next to him, his fingers laced together his chin on his hands.

"From what Momo says…" Toshiro's voice spoke over the computer's speakers, the image of him on the screen shrugging slightly. Uryu thought it was rather funny. Their entire squad was spread across the world and so instead of having meetings they had a video conference via computer. "He has a soft spot for a woman that lives in Las Vegas. He goes there and visits her and gambles."

"So he's a gambler…" Kisuke leaned back in his chair, eying the little camera in his computer screen. Yoruichi stood behind him in his dress shirt, much to his chagrin. He didn't want her showing off her legs on a webcam.

"Yes…" Toshiro nodded and he folded his arms.

"So… we're here in the US… and I'm closest to Las Vegas… want me to go take him out?" The red head on another video offered.

"No Renji… you can't blow your cover… besides… wouldn't that mean that I would have to tell Rukia that her best friend is involved in a syndicate?" Ichigo leaned forward slightly and Renji leaned back.

"This computer is an amazing thing…" Toshiro chuckled. "I love Macs…" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah… they're cool… but that has nothing to do with it…" Ikakku sighed lightly. "What are we going to do to get at his underbelly?"

"What are we going to do to get at his balls…" Renji cut it down to size and Uryu laughed.

"We could shoot him…" Kisuke fiddled with the toothpick in his mouth.

"Look guys… this isn't going to work… we can't just show up and shoot him. We have to figure out what the hell they're going to do with the test subjects…" Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his orange hair. Kisuke frowned.

"Yeah… you have a point… but how do we get on the inside?" Toshiro threw his hands up. "We're right back a square one!" He fell over in his chair from the velocity and the other laughed at him.

"I think I might know what you can do…" A voice spoke from behind Kisuke and he looked up.

"Yoruichi?" He blinked and she leaned down. Renji, Ikakku and Toshiro leaned forward, she had just given them a clear shot down her shirt.

"Get to the woman…" she started typing and suddenly an information card came up with a side profile picture and her statistics. "She can tell you everything you want to know…"

"How do you know that?" Ichigo put a hand on the table and leaned into the camera.

"I'm just saying… I know how men work… if he's really doing things that you all are saying that he's doing…"

"Human testing and mutation…" Ichigo finished.

"That… but if he is really sponsoring all of this and he does want those diamonds… I'm telling you that he's going to have told his little pet in Vegas," Yoruichi tapped the screen. "Listen to me when I'm talking…"

"You were talking?" Ikakku teased the only female partner in the group. She scoffed and walked off.

"She's got a point…" Ichigo frowned. "Unfortunately… the only way we're going to get to him is through her… Kisuke… how fast can you mobilize a unit to find and retrieve her?" Kisuke looked at his watch.

"We'll go…" Uryu said and Ichigo looked over at him.

"You sure you want to do that… Isn't Kazumi due sometime next week?" Ichigo asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah… it shouldn't take that long should it?" He looked over at Ichigo.

"We could get it done faster than any of the greenhorns could…" Ichigo lifted his eyebrow and Uryu nodded.

"We could get it done pretty quick… We'll go Kisuke…" Kisuke blinked at them both then scratched his nose. "Why were you looking at your watch?"

"To see how long it took for you two to decide that you were going to go and take her out…" Kisuke looked up at them.

"Thanks Kisuke… how fast can you get us moving? Tickets and everything?" Kisuke rubbed his face with his hands.

"Why do you all have to bother me so early in the morning?" Kisuke stretched. "Uhm… give me… three days tops… I have to contact the director and find out from him first and then I'll tell you what's gonna happen… but in that time… you two are going to have to move fast if Uryu wants to be back in time to see his son born…" Uryu hung his head slightly.

"We can move faster than you've ever seen us… Uryu's gonna go through the joy of having a woman scream at him about how he's a bastard and how she's going to castrate him when it was over…" Ichigo chuckled and Uryu punched his head gently.

"Shut your mouth Kurosaki…" Uryu sighed.

&&&

_I hate to wake you up to say goodbye._

_But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn._

_The taxi's waiting, he's blowing his horn,_

_Already I'm so lonesome I could cry._

"Ichigo… be careful alright?" Rukia said softly as he packed his duffle bag. He nodded at her and she let a tear fall down her face. "You always do that… and I've almost lost you so many times…" She sighed softly as he wrapped her up in her arms.

"I'll be alright okay?" He whispered and kissed the top of her head. "Listen… there are only so many things he can try… there are only so many tries he has… he won't try anything this time… he doesn't know that we're coming…" She nodded as he tightened his grip on her and tears dripped down her face again.

_So kiss me and smile for me_

_Tell me that you'll wait for me,_

_Hold me like you'll never let me go._

_'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane_

_Don't__ know when I'll be back again _

_-__Oh Babe, I hate to go._

Uryu rested his lips against the back of her neck, his hands on her stomach. She closed her eyes and relished his warmth. "This isn't going to be the last time you see me angel…" he whispered and she nodded.

"I know… but it's still sad…" she smiled and rolled over to look at him. "I'll wait for you… just hurry back alright?" He nodded and rubbed her stomach gently.

"I love you angel…" He whispered as her lips met his. She nodded. She had stopped crying long before. But her heart still hurt, she knew that this was his job… but why did he have to leave… right before she gave birth.

_There's so many times I've let you down_

_So many times I've played around,__I_

_ tell you now, they don't mean a thing._

_Every place I go, I'll think of you,_

_Every song I sing, I'll sing for you,_

_When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring._

Kisuke pulled the blanket over Yoruichi's shoulders. He had to go with them… he knew he did. Ichigo and Uryu needed a way to get out of there fast… and he was the only one who could fly them out of there. "Kisuke…" he heard her soft voice from the bed as he watched her from the doorway.

"Yes…" He whispered back as she got out of the bed and walked over to him. His eyes were soft as she wrapped him up in a hug. Her body was still warm from the sheets and he buried his nose into her neck.

"When you come back… will you do what you said you would?" She whispered and he nodded into her tanned skin.

"Yoruichi… I promised didn't I?" She planted a little kiss on his neck and he smiled. "I always promise…" his blue eyes grew sad.

"Yeah… you do…"

_So kiss me and smile for me_

_Tell me that you'll wait for me,_

_Hold me like you'll never let me go._

_Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane_

_Don't__ know when I'll be back again _

_-__Oh Babe, I hate to go._

"I love you Ichigo…" Rukia whispered to him as he gave her a last hug. Their lips met and he kissed her hard, letting her know that he would be back.

"I love you too… don't worry baby… I'll come back…" he placed a hand on the side of her face.

"Uryu… I'll wait for you…" Her baby blues bored into his cerulean. He saw her blink back tears and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Angel…" he whispered and she shook her head as if to say, don't say anything. Her lips met his and he smiled softly. Kisuke stood just outside the plane's cockpit with a sad smile on his face.

"C'mon guys! If we wanna get this done!" Kisuke shouted and they nodded, letting go of their wives. Ichigo leaned down and kissed Masaki on the forehead. She giggled and hid behind her mother and he smiled.

"Just like your mother…" Ichigo grinned and walked off after Uryu.

_Now the time has come to leave you_

_One more time let me kiss you,_

_Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way._

_Dream about the days to come._

_When I won't have to leave alone_

_About the times I won't have to say ..._


	23. Birthday to Remember

**NOTE: HEY GUYS! Check out my other stories… Places To Fall In Love and A Place for My Heart… because I ****reaaaallly**** want some reviews on those because I like them and I think you all will like them too if you read them… thank you XDDDD**

**COMING SOON: **

**Beer ****For**** My Horses: **Oneshot. Ichigo, Uryu, Renji and Toshiro reflecting on what has happened in the past and good friends. Humor K+

**Deck o****f Cards: **Four Part Series: Men are like a deck of cards… you need a heart to love them, a diamond to marry them, a club to kill them and a spade to bury them. IchiRuki Humor. T.

**Chapter: **Birthday to Remember

**Shalan's Speak: **XDDDD this chapter should be fairly funny… uhm… wish Uryu good luck… because he's going to need it… XDDDD

&&&

Ichigo sighed as the blonde sitting next to him cross her legs. His eyes nearly fluttered down but he looked out the window. Rukia would slap him silly if she even caught wind of him looking at another woman.

"Why does he have to take so long?" He yawned and Uryu looked over.

As soon as they had arrived in Las Vegas they had argued. And they had argued the entire time they had been there. Ichigo wanted to rig the machines that Gin used and Uryu said they didn't have time… in the end the unit commander had won out and Uryu was forced to accompany him on a mission to hack into the security systems and rig the machines that their enemy played on, Ichigo snickering the entire time.

_"Are you in yet?" Uryu asked and Ichigo looked at him over his shoulder._

_"I hate that question…" He typed furiously on the __computer then suddenly the entrance screen to the system programming site opened and he handed the computer to Uryu and he sighed, dealing with rigging the machines as Ichigo pulled on his suit jacket.__ "I feel like a spy…" Ichigo said suddenly and Uryu slowly turned his head to look at his best friend over his shoulder._

_"Ichigo…" he blinked staring at his best friend's back.__ Ichigo turned to look__ at him. "You are a spy…" Ichigo grinned._

_"Something __like__ that…" He chuckled then turned back around._

_"What are you doing over there? Jacking off to a picture of your wife?" Uryu stood up and walked over. "Are you… texting?" Uryu sniggered._

_"Why yes I am…" Ichigo typed something in and sent it, closing the cell phone._

_"To whom?"__ Uryu tilted his chin and Ichigo smacked his throat._

_"__Nunya__…"_

Uryu frowned as he looked over at Ichigo. "I have no idea what's taking him so long… maybe you should learn to be more patient…"

"So where are we going again?" Rangiku asked softly. The two men looked over at her with twin dull expressions.

"To…Michigan… to keep you safe…" Ichigo reminded her and she nodded, looking out the window to the small airport.

She had ended up being fairly easy to track down and capture. It turned out that she was a fairly well known dancer in town and once they mentioned her name they were directed towards her apartment. Which was fairly nice to say the least, obviously Gin had kept her well paid.

"Uryu…" Ichigo pointed at Uryu's phone as it rang and he picked it up.

"How do you do that?" He stared at him and Ichigo shrugged, looking out the window. "Ishida here, go."

"Uryu!" He heard the voice of his wife on the other line and his heart sunk.

"Jesus Christ…" she didn't even have to speak. "How long… what's… how are you?" Ichigo chuckled and Rangiku looked confused.

"His wife must be going into labor… 'least that's what it sounds like." Ichigo chuckled.

"URYU!" he froze. She had been trying to get his attention. "Thank you, they're going to have to induce me… I asked them how long I could wait and they said a few more hours at best…" Uryu breathed, considering the facts.

"Wait… if they have to induce you… then you're already past the delivery date…" He realized this and heard her laugh.

"Yes… by two days…" he could hear the smile in her voice.

"YOU COULD HAVE-you could have told me…" he felt his blood boil. But he couldn't allow himself to shout at a pregnant woman.

"I know… but I didn't want to upset your plan…" she heard him practically roar and the phone flew through the air and smashed into a thousand tiny pieces.

&&&

"He sounded angry…" Kazumi looked at the phone and Rukia snorted, Masaki in her lap.

"He probably is… you did lie to him…" Rukia chuckled as Masaki chewed happily on a rubber ring that her mother had bought her.

"She is so adorable…" Kazumi reached over and ruffled Masaki's hair.

"Thank you… I'm sure Ryuu will be just as…" She smiled and Kazumi nodded.

"Thank you for being here Rukia…" The two had become close friends over the past couple of years, as they were in the same situation.

"It's no problem… I've been through delivery before…" she smiled and Kazumi smiled back.

"You didn't have to be induced…" her face tinged pink and Rukia patted her hand.

"C'mon doll… it's nothing to be embarrassed about… it happens to first mothers all the time… so I got lucky…" Rukia smiled and Kazumi nodded. "You're worried about him not being here aren't you?" Rukia looked at her and Kazumi nodded again, her baby blues sad.

"Yeah… and when he does get here he's going to be steaming…" Kazumi frowned and Rukia squeezed her hand.

"Everything's going to be alright… we both know Uryu, he's not going to be mad once he sees how much pain you're in… and besides… it's good to have a man with you so you can shout at him…" She chuckled. "I think I actually hurt Ichigo's feelings… but I apologized afterwards…" Kazumi laughed slightly.

"I hope he'll be here…" she looked out the doorway.

&&&

"FINALLY!" Uryu was nearly wetting himself with anticipation as he sprinted the 80 yards between the jet and the airport in 3 seconds flat. Ichigo blinked. He had never seen his best friend move that fast. Except when they had been stationed in Vietnam and the air conditioning had broken… then when they had announced that there would be FREE cold water Uryu had disappeared from their room so quickly Ichigo had sworn that he had evaporated.

"Is he always so… excitable…" Rangiku lifted an eyebrow as they boarded the plane.

"No…" Ichigo hung his head as Uryu nearly bounced in his seat shouting orders at Kisuke. The blonde blinked at him then shrugged and checked to make sure everyone was buckled in.

"Rangiku!" He cheered and she cheered back, giving him a high five.

"You two know each other?" Ichigo sighed and they nodded.

"We met a few years ago at a dance club in Vegas…" as the plane lifted off Uryu was panicking again. Ichigo put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get there in time…" Uryu nodded and just sat there, bobbing his head and Ichigo laughed.

&&&

14 hours later Ichigo sat next to Rukia, their sleeping daughter in his arms, his wife's head against the side of his chest, his arm wrapped around her. He was nodding off, his wife already asleep. Kazumi had been in labor for nearly 9 hours now or at least… that was what the two friends thought. They weren't exactly sure… they were both basically asleep.

"ICHIGO!" Something poked him in the face. "ICHIGO!" Ichigo shook his head and blinked. "Ryuu!" He held a bundle in his arms that didn't even look like a baby at first and Ichigo was almost thinking his friend had gone crazy until the bundle lowered and inside was a small, rather pink, baby with a mop of thick black hair.

"This is the pipsqueak?" Ichigo reached out and took the baby from his nearly dancing father. "Masaki… didn't have this much hair…" Uryu blinked.

"He does have a ton of hair doesn't he…" Uryu blinked again. Ichigo nodded and nudged Rukia.

"Hmm?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Baby!" She cheered and happily took the baby from her husband. "Aweee… you are just the cutest!" She laughed and the baby opened his eyes. "And what beautiful eyes you have…" she smiled, the huge pair of baby blues stared up at her then the baby blinked. "Ryuu… let's go see your momma…" she stood up and walked off. Uryu bounced off after her and Ichigo stood up, picking up Masaki and carrying her with him.

"You are so lucky…" Rukia smiled. "I always wanted a son…" she felt a hip bump hers and looked up at Ichigo. He wrapped an arm around her waist as Uryu bounced on the balls of his feet next to his wife and child. Kazumi looked out the window. Snow was falling silently outside… and she felt at peace with the world… she had the feeling… that it would be a while before anything too bad happened again… she smiled down at the baby in her arms.

'…you are one special boy…' she thought and leaned down, planting a kiss on his forehead.

&&&

I LOVED THAT CHAPTER! I'm horrible at stuff like that but I thought it was kinda fun XDDD I laughed through most of it… anyways… now I have to go write the next chapters in Apostando and The Best… TT.TT I have spoiled you all so badly… spoil me and my other stories and gimme some reviews.

Shalan


	24. Forget Me Nots and Explanations

**Chapter: **Forget Me Nots and Explanations

**Shalan's ****Howdy:**Okay I have this pleasant surprise… I WROTE today… XD anyways… here's the next installment of Somewhere Over The Rainbow…

&&&

Rukia watched him sleep, his usually haggard features relaxed peacefully. He had been going for nearly a week since they had gotten the call that he had to fly to Rome for a meeting amongst the brass in the organization. She stroked his hair back from his face tenderly and smiled as his hand gripped her knee, his cheek pressed to her thighs.

"Sleep baby, you deserve it…" she whispered and leaned down, kissing his cheek lightly. His tired eyes fluttered open a crack and she laid a hand on the side of his face. "I love you Ichigo…" she told him and he nodded his head.

"I love you too…" his lips barely moved as he closed his eyes and she smiled softly, settling down.

&&&

Uryu unlocked the door to his house, just using his fingertips to push open the door. As soon as the door was open a pair of warm arms wrapped around his neck and fingers tangled through his hair. "Kazumi…" her name spilled off his lips like a cascade of relief. "Oh angel…" he wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't seem to care that he was soaking wet or that they were just getting more so by the second. Her lips met his and suddenly all of his worries were left behind for the moment… they weren't gone… but in her arms… nothing meant as much to him as she did.

"You're late…" she whispered and he opened his mouth to explain but she kissed him again. It didn't seem that she wanted to hear excuses. "Next time come home… on time… okay?"

"I'll try…" he whispered back. "Now can we get out of the rain?" He asked and she laughed, pulling him back into the house. Her hands slipped his suit jacket off and tossed it onto the floor as he kissed her, hooking an arm around her waist.

"Maybe we can get out of these clothes…" she laughed, pressing their foreheads together for a moment before he tilted her back slightly until their lips connected. "Don't you want to see Ryuu?" She asked before his lips met hers again.

"Point and case…" he sighed and she laughed again. "Stop laughing at me! I come home and the first thing you d…" she kissed him again, pulling his lips to hers.

"Someone has to make fun of you… to keep you in humor…" she told him and pulled him down the hallway to the nursery. "He's asleep… so be quiet," his wife told him as he walked into the room towards where his son lay in the crib.

&&&

"So is someone going to tell me what all of this is all about?" The woman walked up behind Kisuke as he sat at his laptop.

"Alright… I guess some one has to tell you something…" Kisuke turned around to face her. "Sit down and I'll tell you everything you want to know…" He smiled. "You just have to promise not to tell… otherwise… I'd have to kill you… and I don't want to do that."

"Alright… so explain to me what this organization is that you all keep referring to…" she folded her arms.

"SAPO. Secret Armed Police Organization…"

"Who controls this SAPO?" Rangiku lifted an eyebrow. "And who created it?"

"Haaa…" he sighed folding his arms. "If I told you who the head of the organization was… you wouldn't believe me…"

"Try me…"

"SAPO was created by two Marine lieutenants with one thing in mind, protecting their families… Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryu Ishida."

"The two that came a picked me up?" She sounded stunned as he nodded.

"It was created about five years ago when the boys were 22 and had just been honorably discharged from the Marines. They had just returned from the frontlines in Iraq. The two had formed such a bond that they had made a pact that they would fight for what the other loved…" he chewed lightly on his tooth pick.

"So where do you come into this dramatic plot?" Rangiku lifted an eyebrow and he looked over at her.

"They needed another gunslinger… I just happened to be working a freelance job when they found me… they said they'd pay me well and that I would be able to do everything I love to do…"

"Be a jack of all trades right?"

"Right… from there it expanded we found everyone that was the best at what they do… Renji Abarai, sniper expert, worked for the CIA for three years before pursuing a career as a basketball star. Ikakku Madarame, martial artist and technological expert. Kazumi Hasegawa, electronic engineer and hacker…" He tossed her their portfolios in order to her. "Kenpachi Zaraki weapons specialist, Kaname Tosen special operations expert… hmm lessee who else do I have…" he shuffled through the box of folders. "Momo Hinamori and Toshiro Hitsugaya, con artists." He tossed her their file. "Yeah… we got everybody from every walk of life… ah here they are… Ichigo Kurosaki, weapons specialist and special operations expert. Uryu Ishida, weapons specialist and technological warfare expert."

"These are the leaders of your little organization?" Rangiku looked at the two portfolios.

"No, they're the directors of our huge, international organization…" Yoruichi said from the doorway.

"Ah, Yoruichi Shihouin… biological engineer and biological warfare expert… she also happens to be extremely good at martial arts but that's not why we hired her…" Kisuke sniggered.

"How many people do you actually have in this organization?" Rangiku looked between them.

"About a hundred…"

"Thousand…" Kisuke finished. "There are more than 97,000 operatives across the world working for our organization…"

"And you're supposed to be secret?" Rangiku nearly laughed. There was no way to keep a group that large secret.

"Well… yeah…" Kisuke folded his arms behind his head. "We do a damn good job of it to be honest. We have members in the CIA, the FBI, INTERPOL, the Mafia, the Yakuza… I mean you name it we've got a set of eyes and ears within it…"

"Al Quaeda?" Rangiku questioned and Yoruichi looked at Kisuke.

"I'm not sure… but we probably have some in there as well…" Kisuke seemed to consider this. "I'll call central command and ask them."

"So then why does it seem like the directors are the ones that are doing all the work?" Rangiku folded her own arms.

"Because… they can't stand to do nothing… they take a lot of the dangerous missions for themselves…" Yoruichi explained with a heavy sigh. "Their wives would probably prefer that they stay home instead but…"

"They're both married?" She blinked.

"Yeah… and the two of them are very good friends… one of them is actually and operative for us… Kazumi Hasegawa, now Kazumi Ishida." Kisuke nodded his head.

&&&

He sighed, resting his chin on the top of her head, his arms wrapped around her tightly. Being able to come home to something this wonderful made him smile. The red head in his arms snuggled against him with a sigh. He loved just being able to hold her and relax in her arms.

"It's going to be Christmas soon…" she told him and he nodded. "I love you…" she whispered and he buried his face into her hair.

"Why do you put two things together in one sentence that don't go together…" he stared into the crackling fire as she snuggled closer. "You're already like a second skin you're not going to get any closer!" He chuckled as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent.

"Because I can… and I know I just wish I could…"

"Could what? Become my permanent growth?" He laughed as she nodded into his neck, planting a kiss there.

"I love being able to sit here with you…" She told him softly and he nodded, stroking her hair lightly.

"I love being with you angel…" he smiled and kissed the top of her head. She leaned up, wanting a kiss and he complied, knowing well that if he didn't she'd put him into a position that he didn't want at the moment.

&&&

"What are these for?" Rukia looked at the flowers as she sipped from the coffee mug. Ichigo looked over.

"They're called Forget Me Nots. I thought you'd like them…"

"I would never forget you… you know that right?" She looked over at him and he smiled, nodding.

"Not willingly anyways…" he told her and she blinked. "I was kidding…" she breathed a sigh of relief as he laughed at her.

"Don't LAUGH!" She flushed. "With you and your groups espionage activities I wouldn't be surprised if you did something stupid like that…"

"C'mon Rukia…" he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and she pouted. "You know I wouldn't do something like that to you darling…" he kissed her ear, just behind and below and felt her melt into his arms.

"You and your stupid British accent." She muttered.

"What?" He blinked.

"Nothing Ichigo…" she gasped as he bucked his hips against hers lightly to make his point.

"Nothing…" he lifted an eyebrow and she turned around, attempting to back up.

"You don't like my accent?" He lifted an eyebrow and she jutted her jaw. "Or do you like my voice too much?" He purred in her ear and her body tingled. That heavy London accent mixed with his gravelly baritone made her knees weak. If he kept on talking the way he was she could probably skip foreplay.

"Keep your hands to yourself Kurosaki…" she nearly pushed him away but found that her limbs were basically butter. "How can you possibly be horny this early in the morning?" She frowned and his eyes sparkled.

"Bugger…" he pulled out his cell phone as it started to ring. "So much for that…" she was about ready to throw the damn cell phone out the window. This wasn't the first time it had interrupted them. "And it won't be the last sweetie…" he swatted her rump lightly and she yelped.

"Jerk!" She called as he laughed his way out of the room.

"Yeah… what's the situation with Kenpachi?" A little girl's voice spoke over the phone as Ichigo asked.

"Kenny's in the hospital… seems like someone was trying to kill him Ichi!" She sounded slightly panicked and Ichigo nearly fell over. She was so specific.

"Is he awake? Can I talk to him Yachiru?" Ichigo asked. He looked over at the Forget Me Nots as Rukia shuffled them around in the morning sunlight. He knew he shouldn't have bought them.

&&&

HI THERE! We are finally in the final stretch of the story… this chapter was necessary… I hope you guys can mull over the information you received in this one and figure a few things out… XD I love the conversation between them about his accent… I just threw that in for all you fangirls out there…

I AM ICHIGO!

XD I am the god of writing Ichigo's personality… and let me tell you… my beta and I have decided that Somewhere Ichigo (as we call him) is the best of the bunch… he is smexeh… XD

Shalan


	25. Dealings With The Devil

**Chapter: **Dealings with the Devil

**Shalan's**** Say: **I better make up a really good excuse for this one… uhm… I've been here for a while now… but I have to say you all have been spoiled once again and you deserve to be left hanging because you're all a bunch of spoiled brats… anyways… some stories are going on hiatus and a new one will be up… but don't worry… Apostando, Somewhere and The Best will be updated… sorry it's taken me so long… I have had a ton of homework and I've been trying to get ready for school before that… Thanks for understanding… but from now on… I should be able to update about once a week or maybe a little more if I push hard enough…

&&&

Byakuya stood in the doorway, his back leaned against the door frame with a smile. He shook the glass a little to clear the ice from the opening of the glass. "So… why are you still holding me here?"

"Because we consider you collateral…" Kisuke replied, not looking up from his evening newspaper.

"What do you consider collateral? My body or my mind?"

"How's neither?" Kisuke replied as he folded his legs on the coffee table.

"Neither? Well then how the hell can you consider me collateral?"

"We consider your money collateral…"

"You sound like a woman…" Byakuya replied as he sipped from the glass of cognac. "Funny… I've known women from here to there and most of them have been after my money … but I've never had a man after my money…"

"How much of that cognac have you had?"

"'bout half of it…" he looks at the decanter.

"Now all we have to do is get you a hooker and you'll be good…" Kisuke chuckled. "You don't oppose do you?"

"Not really… so when am I going to see my sister again Kisuke?" Byakuya swirled the ice around again.

"In a while… but right now… I…" he looked at his watch, "yes… it's about time…" he looked at the phone and immediately it started ringing. "Urahara…" he answered it.

&&&

"Kisuke… how is everyone's favorite grump these days?" Ichigo smiled as he watched his wife playing with their baby.

"Ah… Byakuya Kuchiki you mean?" Kisuke sounded bemused. "He's drunk as a camel…"

"Really… maybe his sister should be told…" He looked over and Rukia looked back and smiled. His heart squeezed around itself. He hated the feeling that something terrible was going to happen in the future.

"Who's sister?" Rukia looked over at him and he quickly hid the fear in his heart and smiled.

"Byakuya's…" Ichigo replied with a snigger.

"What's he doing now?" She tilted her head and Ichigo shrugged.

"Drinking apparently… not much else…"

"What are we going to do about him?" She chuckled.

"I haven't decided yet… maybe we should throw him in a freezing lake and see what happens… you got any frozen lakes Kisuke?" He said into the phone and Kisuke laughed from the other line.

"Not that I know of… but maybe I can fly him out to Antarctica and throw him out of the plane…" Kisuke laughed in return.

"You do that… now on to more serious matters…" Ichigo looked away from Rukia and turned his back to the room, leaning his body against the doorframe.

"You have something more serious to report?"

"Kenpachi has been taken down… high grade strychnine… closed his respiratory system down almost immediately. From what the doctors say… it was almost twice the lethal dose." Ichigo's face darkened and he heard Kisuke stand up and walk into another room. The soft click of a door's lock resounded.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean they're playing hard ball Kisuke…" Ichigo frowned and allowed himself a look at Rukia who was giggling, playing with Masaki.

"So what are we going to do… Ichigo… consider your family before you decide to do anything too risky…" The blonde's voice faded slightly, he knew what Ichigo was thinking and it wasn't making him very happy. "Ichigo…"

"Kisuke it's the only way…"

"You're going to use her as bait?" Kisuke leaned back in his chair.

"Yes… he'll come for Rangiku… and we are going to tempt him…" Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

"Ichigo… he'll come at us full force… you know that right? He'll bring in the heavy artillery if we're not careful…"

"Then let him… we'll take him down easily enough…"

"You're risking your life again… Why?"

"I'm going to catch this guy for what he did to Rukia and what he's been doing to all those poor people…" Ichigo's knuckles turned white.

"Ichigo." Kisuke sighed sadly. There was no convincing him… he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted to do anyways…what was the point of telling him to stop?

"Kisuke… I'm not doing this for personal revenge… I just… want him… to pay for what he's done to my friends… and to my wife…" Ichigo's voice was set. There was no changing his mind now.

"Fine… shall we call a meeting for next week…" Kisuke sighed heavily, if anything happened to Ichigo… his wife would be devastated.

"Make it Sunday…"

&&&

Gin walked beside the head scientist with his arms folded. He was not happy with the results of the experiments at all. "How am I supposed to keep funding this if you all won't hurry and give me some results?"

"Because… sir… the subjects have been losing their minds… fairly easily… we haven't found the stability in the project yet… just give us more time…" the other man begged.

"Harris you've had more than enough time… give me results… or else…" he pursed his lips irritably.

"Mr. Ichimaru… please just give us another month… and we'll have the tests done that you need… just keep supplying the hearts and we'll be done…" Ichimaru frowned.

"You have three weeks… and I'll get you the hearts…" he walked to the door. "But this time… don't screw up…" he shot over his shoulder and walked out the main door. A beep came from his pocket and he pulled his cell phone out. "Ahhh… so you're on the move Kurosaki…" he looked out over the beautiful California waters. "Then the finale… has begun…"

&&&

YAY! Chapter 25 is up… only seven more chapters left… sorry that was such a short chapter guys but I'm just crammed with stuff… the next one will definitely be longer because I'll do it on Friday night when I don't have much homework… or… at least… I don't have to do it until Sunday night… XDDD The updates for The Best and Apostando are on their way and in the works… just hold in there…

SORRY!

Shalan


	26. Getting Your Hands Dirty

**Chapter: **Getting Your Hands Dirty

**Shalan's Blah: **damn I have had SO much homework to do… it's like the teachers assign work with a vengeance like: YOU HAD ALL SUMMER OFF! NOW YOU MUST SUFFER! Geez… anyways… sorry it's taken me so damn long to update… I honestly haven't had enough time between doing my homework… and doing my homework XDDD and being sick… I've been sick all weekend and now I'm home sick so expect another update XP

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Rain poured down outside the windows of the house, a simple drumming on the roof like a thousand tiny heartbeats. He smiled lightly as he kissed his wife's sleeping face tenderly before walking out of the room. He picked up his duffle and walked into his daughter's room. "Masaki, you take care of your mother now… alright?" He whispered, "I'll be back in a few days…" he gently caressed the side of the child's head. She merely shifted in her sleep under her father's touch. Something in his heart told him that something terrible was going to happen, though he didn't know for sure what it was.

He closed her door silently then walked down the hallway, pausing in the vestibule to look around once more. So many happy moments had happened in this house, so many memories that he didn't want to forget, so many memories that meant so much to him. He closed his eyes and for a moment his life paused and he saw everything that had happened in the past few years and in that moment, he wished that he would have never gotten involved with everything that was going on.

With that last thought still echoing in his mind, Ichigo stepped out of the house and into the pouring rain.

&&&

"What's going on?" Byakuya asked as they drove to the airport and Kisuke sighed.

"We're beginning the last segment of the plan." The blonde replied as he pulled up in front of the three people standing in front of the airport. Ichigo frowned, folding his arms as Kisuke motioned for them to get in. The three piled in and Kisuke looked over his shoulder. "Good evening Rangiku…" She nodded but seemed a little confused. She obviously had not been told what was going on.

&&&

Rukia smiled as she stroked the side of her baby's face. Masaki slept peacefully in her mother's arms as she was cradled against the warm chest. She looked out the window at the pouring rain. "Ichigo…" she sighed.

Her eyes fell on the picture of herself and Ichigo at their wedding. The tip of his nose brushed the back of her neck, his eyes closed, his hands on her slightly swollen stomach. She leaned back against his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips against his cheek. Masaki shifted in her arms and the woman lifted her to rest against her shoulder. "How are you sweetie?" She cooed then blinked as the front door opened. Her heart lept. Three days ago he had left without even a goodbye. She gently placed the baby on the floor and tackled the orange haired man in the doorway.

"Hey baby…" he laughed as her arms hooked around her neck. She pressed her face into his neck, well knowing that he had only come home for a short time.

"Ichigo…" she muttered before his lips met hers. She smiled lightly as their tongues tangled. His scent had changed lightly, as it always did when he was working. Usually he smelled like some kind of cologne, whether it be Hugo Boss or Armani. But when he was working he smelled like tobacco smoke and simple detergent, she called it his detective smell.

"How are you doing baby?" He let a hand grace the side of her face. It was then that she noticed the cuts and bandages on his face and arms.

&&&

That part of the plan hadn't exactly gone the way they had wanted it. Uryu frowned as he drove toward his house. Their plan could have gone better.

The plan had been to set up Ichimaru and get him back to the headquarters while keeping Rangiku safe at the same time. When Ichigo had walked into the room where they had been holding Rangiku what he found was not quite what he expected.

"Kurosaki…" Ichimaru snarled from behind the woman who looked terrified. Ichigo lifted his gun and Ichimaru shot back. Bullets pierced the air, gunshots ringing. Ichigo had run after Ichimaru who dragged Rangiku with him as he blew the window open. The glass flew back and cut him up.

"DAMN!" Ichigo shot at him, landing a single blow to his chest to which Ichigo punched the air, with a wound like that… he wouldn't be moving too quickly anywhere.

Uryu walked up to his front door and opened it. What he saw was not what he expected, a lace covered rump was sticking up in the air from the fridge. Uryu lifted an eyebrow amusedly. He silently took his shoes off and placed his duffle on the floor. The detective stole across the room and walked up behind her, wrapped his hands around her hips, gently bumping her body with his. She jumped and spun around.

"URYU!" She slapped him across the face.

"Ow… damn woman…" he put a hand to his face and her eyes grew soft.

"You deserved that…" she told him as he held her out at arm's length. She had certainly out done herself. She had been working out every day since she had been allowed to walk and had now apparently lost all of her baby weight and then some. Her flat and toned tummy trembled slightly under his scrutiny.

"You look so good I could eat you…" his grin flashed across his face as his eyes spanned her abdomen to her breasts which were boosted slightly by the black lace bra that he blinked at.

"I was trying it on to see if it-whoa!" He swung her up onto the counter, his lips conquering hers in a lip lock that could have made Satan cry. "Mmmph… Uryu…" she laughed breathlessly as his hands made their way through her softer than silk hair. "You can't even wait to talk…" he shook his head as their lips met again. She had the feeling that this night was going to be the most fun she had had in a while.

&&&

Ichimaru cursed as he made his way extremely slowly through his office where he had been sleeping recently. Rangiku helped him towards where the doctor was standing. "Isn't there anything you can do about this pain?" Ichimaru snarled and the doctor shook his head.

"I apologize sir… there honestly is nothing that I can do about it…" he bowed his head and Ichimaru turned to Rangiku.

"Call Kurotsuchi… tell him to come here…" Rangiku nodded as the white haired man frowned over at the doctor. "As for you kind doctor… leave…" he turned his head. "I will kill you Kurosaki…" he gritted his teeth… "Even if I have to play hard ball…" he looked at the picture in his hand. "You wouldn't think I would attack them… would you?" The smiling family in the picture grinned back.

&&&

Yachiru sat patiently by Kenpachi's bed, her cell phone wrapped in her small hands. The young girl shifted slightly. She missed her Kenny.

"Hello?" She answered the phone as it rang.

"Yachiru?" Ichigo asked and heard her cheer. "How is he doing?"

"He's doing good Ichi! The doctors say that he'll be better soon… that little poison isn't going to kill Kenny!" (I snorted when I realized that "kill" and "Kenny" were in the same sentence… ah the Southpark references…)

"That's good, he's one of our best operatives… I'll be by in a little bit to see him… get him awake alright… we're putting the next plan into action…" an arm wrapped around his waist. He was sitting up in bed, one knee bent up, a cigarette in hand. The hand attached to that arm slid down his navel to his nether regions and immediately the detective's head snapped back. "Juh-just tell him… thah-that…" he dropped the phone to the ground as he pinned his wife to the bed.

"I thought I would interrupt you…" she slid her hands down his chest.

"Well you succeeded…" he growled and she smirked.

"I want another…" she told him and he blinked.

"Another… baby?" He remembered the long nights of getting up and walking through the freezing house to cradle a screaming baby. He also remembered the long nights of not getting to have sex with his wife. This was something completely foreign to him, not being able to have sex. He hated it.

"Yes… why not?" Her eyes brightened and he smiled, his eyes meeting hers. He could last the few weeks without sex… because he would have enough fun making the baby to last him a while.

&&&

Uhm… drools… this was a horrible chapter and I'm sorry guys… actually I had to rewrite the whole story… to be honest the original story was going to end with all of their deaths except Uryu and the babies… but… I was nearly hanged when my friend found out about the original ending… I mean seriously she was going to strangle me so I changed some things… XDDDD Anyways… the next few chapters should start building up… only a few more… uhm… lessee… SIX CHAPTERS LEFT! Should be another update for Apostando and maybe one for my new one… Fragile…

Shalan the Magnif

Hey I'm home sick today… if you have MSN or Yahoo IM me because I need something to do… TT.TT

MSN: My Email Addy on FanFic

Yahoo: shalanthemagnif


	27. The Beauty of Plan B

**Chapter:** The Beauty of Plan B

**Shalan's Say: **Hey guys it's Shalan, back with another fun-filled chapter of Somewhere Over the Rainbow… HOT DAMN! This story is almost over… _wipes forehead_ THANK YOU JESUS! I am starting to lose my focus on this story so this chapter will be the final chapter before the big She-Bang… XDDD of course the final chapter/epilogue will be chapter 32… so that gives us five more chapters before the EEEND! YAY! I am STILL sorry about not updating for two weeks… I have been biting my nails over it… but I've had a test every week in Bio II so my life sucks…

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Uryu curled around his wife, nuzzling his nose into her hair and planting a kiss on the back of her neck. She mumbled something under her breath. "Wha?" He opened his eyes and she rolled over in his arms, baby blue meeting cerulean.

"Plan B huh?" She whispered and he nodded. "The direct attack…" her eyes dimmed as Uryu brushed her bangs back from her face.

"Yeah, it'll be a tough fight…" Uryu let her lips trail down his neck. "Why do you always kiss me so early in the morning? You know it'll just…" he pinned her quickly to the bed with a grin, "get you in trouble…"

"But I love being in trouble…" she smiled back as his lips met hers. Somewhere in the room a cell phone rang and Uryu sat up with a groan.

"Damn it! If that's Kurosaki I'm going to hurt him…" His wife's arms released him as he stumbled across the room, cursing as he went. "Damn! Why did you have to put my jeans there? Do you want me to fall and break my neck woman? Shit! What the hell is my-AH!" Kazumi laughed into her pillow. "Fuck! I can't find the damn-THERE YOU ARE!" He yanked the little object off his belt. "I-I-Ishida, go." He yawned into the phone. "OI YOU THERE! STOP LAUGHING…" he called across the room to his wife.

"B-B-But-It's…" she laughed into the pillow, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Sounds like you two are having fun…" Kisuke's voice said over the phone.

"Can't you call at a normal time Urahara?" Uryu complained, yanking on his jeans. From his bed he heard his wife mumble something about commando.

"This is a normal time I thought?"

"For you maybe…" Uryu leaned against the doorframe to his bathroom, eyeing his wife as she peeked out from under the blankets. He could tell she was smiling, her eyes crinkled when she smiled.

"Anyways… plan B has officially gone into action. Kenpachi is out of the hospital and will apparently be moving into the Hobbit Hole with Yachiru. Ichigo and Rukia are in Kansas City. I'll be flying in soon to pick up the others in our squad… then we'll be able to do some real thinking huh?" Kisuke grinned into the phone, Uryu hated it when Kisuke was smiling.

"What did you do?" His voice darkened.

"Nothing Uryu, I just motivated a few people to move in closer to Gin… anyways, we'll talk about all of that later on… talk to ya' later!" He hung up and Uryu sighed at the phone. Kisuke was always doing stupid things.

"So… are you going somewhere?" Kazumi asked from beneath the pile of blankets and he shook his head.

"Yes, I'm going to be in that bed in a second." He jumped out of his jeans and across the room, diving into his bed before the cold to get to him.

"That's good…" Kazumi sighed, snuggling up against his chest.

&&&

"Ichigo…" he looked over from within the kitchen. Their daughter sat in his lap as he read the newspaper.

"Hey baby, I guess Sleeping Beauty is out of her chamber?" He teased and she shook a fist at him. "What's going on?" He blinked as she leaned against the doorframe.

"I'm pregnant…" she stated plainly. He choked on his coffee as the two-year-old struggled to get down from his lap.

"Gah-what?" He spluttered as he helped Masaki to the floor. She toddled into the other room as her parents stared at each other. "A-again?"

"Pretty much…" she shrugged. Ichigo moved across the room before she could blink and gathered her in his arms his lips meeting hers.

"But I thought…" he tried to say before she kissed him back. "I thought our plan was fool proof…"

"Yeah, it is… but we aren't fools are we…" she laughed and Ichigo let her go. "Birth control, no matter what it is, isn't 100 effective… apparently you really wanted me pregnant again…" She smiled.

"You stopped taking the pills… didn't you?" He scolded. She looked away. "Rukia!" He tried to sound angry. "I'm going to have to get another job!" He yanked on his hair. "You AND two kids… jesus… why are you so perfect?" His lips met hers again and she was almost surprised he wasn't angry about her pregnancy. "This is so great…" he mumbled against her lips.

"You mean that?" she whispered back and he nodded before their tongues tangled together.

"FUCK!" He nearly shouted. 'SMACK' she slapped him as his cell phone rang.

"What did I say about your language? Huh?" She scolded as he answered the phone.

"Kurosaki, no one I know would call me during foreplay…" she slapped his arm and he sniggered as she turned to get the toddler who had mysteriously disappeared. He slapped her rump playfully and she threw him a look over her shoulder.

"Hey, sorry didn't mean to interrupt anything…" Kisuke chuckled from the other line.

"That's not true, you've been wanting to do that to me since we met… and you've managed to do it several times…" Ichigo grumbled into the phone. "So… how is your wifey?" Ichigo made fun of Kisuke's version of wife.

"Me wifey is good…" Kisuke replied with a chuckle. "She ish a bit… gwumpy-OW! Alright I'll stop…" Kisuke grumbled. "Anyways… plan B has now been put into action…"

"Yay…" Ichigo said sarcastically. "Now only 24 more letters to go!" He threw his arms up in exasperation. "And then we have the Greek Alphabet!"

"Be quiet Ichigo…" the blonde snorted from the other side.

"Fine… have you called the others and set it up yet or have you been slacking on your duties?" Ichigo watched his wife as she scooted around on the floor after their daughter.

"Nope, I've gotta finish up the list… Talk to you in a few…"

"WAIT! I'm going to be a father…" Ichigo grinned and he heard a noise of surprise from the other line.

"A-freakin-gain? Dude what the hell are you two drinking?" Kisuke hooted from the other end. "I'll tell everyone… I gotta go…" he hung up and Ichigo smiled, leaning against the wall.

&&&

"Uryu…" Kazumi mumbled, gently stroking the side of his face. "Uryu your cell phone…" he shook his head. "Uryu you need to get up… your cell phone is ringing…" He nodded and reached across her to the bedside table.

"Who the fuck is this?" He grumbled.

"ISHIDA!" Ichigo roared in his sergeant voice and Kazumi laughed as Uryu shot up in bed, sitting up straight. "My wife is pregnant…" he laughed.

"Again?" Uryu blinked, his shoulders relaxing as Kazumi sat up behind him, wrapping her legs around his back. Her hands graced his chest and stomach delicately. "Why do you always have to do that?" He asked as she kissed his cheek.

"Because I happen to have a libido above most men…" Ichigo boasted and Uryu sighed with a laugh.

"Not you! Her! And what the hell are you two? Catholics? Ever heard of BIRTH CONTROL?" Uryu joked.

"Now that's a little harsh… and yes I've heard of it………never considered it before…" Ichigo chuckled.

&&&

Yeah… sorry about that… this chapter was weird, next chapter should be longer… and it will probably be about the family that Gin is going to harm… TTYL READ AND REVIEW OR I WILL CONTINUE POSTING FILLERS MUAHAHAHAHA

Shalan


	28. Up Against The Wall

**Chapter:** Up Against The Wall

**Shalan's Say:** Hey guys I'm writing at school. Yes my amazingly strict and restraining school that doesn't allow me to do ANYTHING XDDDD anyways so how are you guys doing? I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this story, OMG a week and a half is not a long time… maybe it is for you YOU SPOILED BRATS! I SPOIL YOU! But I love you and that's why… So eat up _throws new chapter to hungry wolves _GO GET IT!

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She knew she was going to be in trouble when they got home. She had known since he had given her that look just before they left. An important meeting between all the bigwigs in SAPO and the dons of the Coza Nostra. Uryu looked across the table at her and she smiled devilishly in reply to his disapproving glare. His wife's legs were for him to look at and him to look at alone. Along with every other part of her body that the little black dress showed off. Several of the younger dons seemed almost distracted by the beautiful woman who was sitting in their midst and whenever one of them would toss a look her way Uryu felt the primal rage that was jealousy boil in his blood.

"Signora Ishida," Uryu growled under his breath as one of the Dons spoke, 'yeah that's right… Ishida!', his primal instincts whispered darkly in his head. "may I have this dance?" Kazumi shot Uryu a look and suddenly he shrunk back and he felt the testosterone in his blood dissipate. Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up right before dinner…

"Of course Don Emilio… call me Kazumi…" she took his offered hand and shot her husband another glare as she allowed herself to be led out onto the dance floor.

"She is a fiery spirit Signor…" Uryu hardly heard the Don speak as he folded his arms across his chest angrily.

She had started it. This was the conclusion that he had come to. She had started the whole thing. To think that she was being so childish about one little slip up. She had definitely started it. His eyes followed her form as she glided along the dance floor in the arms of the Don and again, his blood boiled, she was HIS, she belonged to HIM he knew it… So why was it that he felt this hatred towards the Don she was dancing with? Oh… that's right… he had started it.

Kazumi swung around, lifting her leg then bringing it back down to the fast Italian beat of the song, but this time, Uryu stood up abruptly. She was not going to get away with dancing with another man in that dress.

She felt him coming, she knew that she had pushed him too hard, she had pushed and pushed until she had found that happy place where she knew she had pushed him off the edge of anger and into insanity. She knew immediately when she felt a pair of powerful hands latch onto her waist and swing her around. Their eyes met, steely cerulean and pure azure. She nearly had to blink from the force of his gaze but she held her own, staring right back, tilting her chin in defiance, a defiance that he hated but a defiance that pleasured him to no end.

He loved breaking that defiance of hers and loved seeing it bound back. He loved proving that he was the stronger one, the dominant male of society. Most women would never put up with his ways but she… she remained standing when all the other women in the world fell.

The dance began, a quick Latin beat which tugged at the thrumming of your heart and molded it until it followed the beat of the song. He had started the fight that had struck silence between the two for nigh on four months. Neither had wanted to break the silence that they had been sworn into. Her body pressed so tightly against his, her hips moving in time, her warm skin beneath the little black dress that had started it all. The scent of her skin, of her hair, drawn in by the whisper that was his breath, the scent of lavender and vanilla mixed with another scent that he knew well but had no name for.

I started it. His voice in her ear, tingling her senses and shuddering her spine. Her stomach turned, not from sickness, but from happiness, the fluttering flip-flopping sensation that had been there ever since she had met him. His hands on her skin, sliding against her thighs and against her bare back. The little black dress that had caused all the problems was starting to look like a good thing.

"I know you did…" she whispered back as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest. "I really don't think that what you're thinking is appropriate…" her words barely left her lips before they were conquered by his.

Before she knew it her new dress was on the floor of the posh bathroom of the beautiful Sicilian hotel. Her hands unbuttoned his jacket and shirt, sliding them down his arms exposing his muscular chest to her roaming hands. Four months. It had been four months since she had been able to touch his skin except for the small caresses trying to get his attention. When he ignored her before bed. Her hands slid down from his shoulders, across the thick pecs and across the ridges that were his abdominals. Her legs tightened around his thin hips, her trembling fingers unbuckled the patent leather belt.

"Manolo Uryu? I didn't know you ever paid attention to designers…" she examined it just before he pulled it from her hand and tossed it to the side near her dress.

"I don't you bought that for me two years ago…" he growled just before maneuvering himself into her. Her primal cry of delight, muffled into his muscular shoulder made his blood boil as his hips began to move.

"You know… this is a public… restro…" her sentence was cut short as he bucked his hips again. This was going to be a long night.

&&&

Ichigo's face lit with delight as the doctor asked him if he wanted to cut his son's umbilical cord. He didn't know why but it made him more proud than he had been before being able to cut the cord. His chest puffed slightly and Rukia scoffed at him, exhausted though she may have been.

A little while later Ichigo sat next to his wife as he was handed his son. His chest puffed out again and Rukia had the feeling that he was going to get up and show him off to everyone that would listen… which is exactly what he did.

"ICHI-go…" he was out the door before she could say anything.

"KISUKE!" Ichigo cawed and Kisuke looked over. "My son…" the orange-haired detective's chest puffed again and Yoruichi squealed over the tiny baby boy in Ichigo's arms. Kisuke looked him over and made a comment under his breath. "What? What did you say?" Ichigo's temper flared and Kisuke laughed at him.

"Calm down Ichigo… now go back and see your wife…" Kisuke chuckled as Ichigo sprinted back into his wife's hospital room. Rukia sighed at him as he grinned, holding his son in his arms. The little two year old on the bed next to her mother was asleep, her head resting against her mother's chest, shifted in her sleep. Ichigo sat down next to Rukia and sighed heavily.

"I love you…" he smiled softly. "Could you get anymore perfect?" he kissed her tenderly. She smiled softly and Ichigo stroked the side of her face.

&&&

"MMPGH!" Suddenly a hand covered her mouth. "HELP!" She bit the hand that covered her mouth and the man cursed.

"Shut up and come peacefully!" He slapped her across the face.

"GET AWAY FROM ME CREEP!" He whacked her on the back of the head and Karin Kurosaki collapsed into Gin's arms.

"Shit… girl bites…" he sucked on his hand. "Hope her sister isn't that bad…" he dragged the college student off towards his car.

&&&

Isshin swung his legs out of the bed, a gun in his hand. "Touch me and I kill you…" he pointed the gun at the three men who were standing around him.

"Then come peacefully and we won't hurt your daughters…" One of the masked men spoke to him.

"M-my daughters…" it was in that moment that Isshin Kurosaki let his guard down and the other three jumped on him.

&&&

"How is the plan going?" Gin asked as he dragged Karin into the room. He dropped her on a chair and walked over to Rangiku.

"Fine, the last one left is Yuzu Kurosaki, but she should be the easiest…" the blonde told him.

"That's good… and Kurosaki hasn't got a clue…" He grinned evilly.

&&&

Yuzu hung up the phone with Karin's roommate and looked around. If people were kidnapping her family then that meant that they would come for her. She picked up the phone.

Ichigo answered sleepily. "Yuzu why are you calling me at this time?" He grumbled.

"Ichigo… someone's kidnapped Karin and DAD!" She shouted at him. "YOU DON'T KNOW?"

"What did you say?" Ichigo shot up in bed and Yuzu screamed. "YUZU!" He shouted into the phone but she had dropped her cell phone.

"What about Yuzu?" Rukia asked him, looking over.

"I'm leaving…" he swung his legs out of bed. Rukia hadn't seen him like this before.

"Ichigo!" She hooked her arms around his waist and held on tightly. "NO! They won't kill them… get your sleep… then deal with them…" Ichigo looked at her over his shoulder and her eyes pleaded with him.

"I have… to call…"

"NO! Don't wake them up right now…" she tugged on his waist. "You can save them in the morning… please… get your sleep…" he looked down at her… then slowly nodded.

&&&

I BET YOU ALL DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING HUH? You were all going… NO NO NO NOT ICHIGO'S FAMILY! But you all forgot about his ACTUAL family… rejects… I think you should all be scolded…

Shalan

**HEY CHECK OUT MY NEW STORY: LEND ME THY HONOR ****It**** should be awesome…**


	29. More Human Than Human

**Chapter: **More Human Than Human

**Shalan's Say: **OMG ANOTHER UPDATE? FOR YOU? OMG OMGOMGOMG SPAZZ I can't believe I'm posting another chapter for you people… WORSHIP ME!

**WARNING: **Adult Content… the final lemon in this story… _sobsob_

**NOTE**: This story will not be over until you see the word **EPILOGUE** in the title of the chapter update…

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"I KNEW this was a bad idea…" Ichigo growled under his breath. "I KNEW… but does ANYONE listen to me? ANYONE?" He continued under his breath at her.

_Ichigo walked silently alongside his wife as they made their way down the hallway towards __Kisuke's__ office. Neither spoke for fear of breaking the silent __pax__ between them. The fight that had occurred earlier in the week had left them both looking away from each other. The lawyer had argued with him to within an inch of his life until he had agreed to let her come with him to rescue his family. Ichigo had then contacted __Kisuke__ to let him know. _

_"Ah, so the happily married __couple are__ here huh?" __Kisuke__ swung around with a smile. The main headquarters of SAPO were located in __a huge__ steel and glass building with shiny black marble floors. __Rukia__ almost stared at herself in the floor as she walked, causing her to bump into her husband more than once._

_"Happily might be an overstatement __Kisuke__." Kazumi smiled from his left. __Uryu__ stood beside her, his arms folded across his chest loosely, his eyes closed._

_"Well I hope this event solidifies your relationship…" __Yoruichi__ said hopefully._

Rukia sighed angrily. Oh, this was solidifying something alright… but it most certainly wasn't their relationship… She stared over at her husband who stood by her side, his arms tied behind his back, his jaw set. She sat in a chair next to him, her hands tied as well. Her frown and twitching eye meant something in Ichigo's book. And it meant that his wife was pissed beyond belief… and that look was usually reserved for him.

_He led her back into his office and shut the door for a lecture after they had spoken with the __others,__ they were to leave later that day. However, when he shut the door his wife immediately dropped her clothes. His eyes bulged out of his head. She flicked the clasp on her bra and threw the piece of lace on the floor, leaving the petite wo__man in nothing as she slipped her panties down to the ground. _

_He suddenly saw the similarities to the first time that he had ever made love to her… and this moment. Instead their positions were __reversed,__ she was standing in front of him instead of him standing in front of her. His eyes searched hers as she walked towards him. Ichigo suddenly felt that this was her way of apologizing for getting him upset. _

_"__Ruki__-ah…" his breathing hitched as she rested a hand on his crotch, her blue eyes dark and mysterious, the way he liked them. Her fingers, all ten of them he noted, unzipped his suit pants and dropped them after unbuckling his belt. He bit his lip as her cool hands slid down his navel, delicately sliding his boxers from his body. Damn she turned him on quickly. She smiled lightly. He was more ready for this than she was… and she had started it._

_"Yes…" Her frigid hand gripped his length gently, __then__ rubbed. His knees went weak. "What do you want?" She leaned down into his ear as he dropped to his knees. He stripped his jacket from his arms then stripped his shirt off over his head._

_"You…" he slammed her back against the cold floo__r. Her lips curved into a smile and he buried that smile in his own lips. He had turned her from a prude to a sex fiend. She was exciting and playful… and most of all sexy as hell… she knew what to do to turn him on quick. Their lips clashed in a battle for dominance then he moved __from her__ lips to her neck, letting his kisses coat her chest and stomach. He kissed every stretch mark that marred her navel then dipped his head between her thighs. His tongue lapped through her folds and he felt her squirm, her voice gasping his name._

_Her fingers tangled through his hair, trembling, partially from the cold and partially from the excitement that was sure to come. She was slick and hollow, just the way he liked her, his fingers __scissored__ and she squirmed again. "I'm no-t-__gonna__ take __th__-__ih__-s…" She gasped and he smiled at her with a lifted eyebrow._

_"Really?__ It seems to me that you are taking it…" He flashed his famous cocky grin and suddenly she whipped her hips up and swung her legs into the air, roundhouse kicking him over o__nto his back and simultaneously__landing on__ top of him._

_"Am I still taking it?" She smiled and just before he opened__ his__ mouth to reply she lowered herself onto him. His head hit the cold marble. _

_"I am…" He groaned as she moved, using her thighs to shift herself up and down, like a perfectly timed piston they continued, her body singing as they moved in symphony. His eyes were white slits in his head__, their bodies clashing against each other. Her gasps and moans mingled with his grunts and the occasional hiss of air being forced from his body. For the first time in their lives they both came, at the exact same time. Her unearthly cry rose from her throat towards the ceiling, her head thrown back, __her__ body soaked, glistening in the dim florescent lights. He watched her through half lidded eyes, his groan echoing with hers. _

_"I love you…" He choked as she panted against his bare chest, her own body heaving. She nodded her head._

_"I love you, too…" Her eyes dimmed further and their lips met again, but this time it wasn't a heated and passionate kiss, instead it was warm, fuzzy and tender. His hands gripped her head gently as their lips met again, their tongues tangling slowly. It was a kiss that neither had experienced before._

_A kiss that was so similar to the last kiss he had given her when he had left her in the apartment. A kiss that tingled on her senses after he had been shot in the head. __A kiss that lingered after he had left for Vegas.__A kiss that meant to her that he was leaving._

_"You're not leaving me this time Kurosaki…" She purred and sat up, towering over him like a grand sphinx. He looked at her, resting his hands on her hips and sliding them upwards slowly. "I'm going with you…" their eyes met._

"I knew… I KNEW…" Rukia growled under her throat as her husband continued. She knew he KNEW she didn't need to hear it anymore.

"SHUT UP!" Rukia shouted at him. He blinked. She was getting more annoyed by the second. They had successfully snuck into the building… and had immediately been caught after a short gun battle.

Ichigo was bleeding from a gash in his right arm and left knee. There were some scrapes and bruises on his face and neck and more than likely other places as well… but she couldn't see those. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned part of the way down, exposing his smooth chest. The necklace that he wore with her picture and a cross on it was stuck to his breast and Rukia could visibly see sweat on his skin. He was in extreme pain.

"Where's the ring?" Ichigo's eyes widened. Rukia looked behind her.

"Is it not there?" She lifted an eyebrow and Ichigo leaned down next to her hands.

"Looking for this?" Ichimaru walked in , Rangiku following behind him with two bare swords. On a long silver chain was Rukia's engagement ring.

"Gin…" Ichigo frowned, nearly turning it into a grimace as he twitched his arm lightly and Rukia nearly let tears well up in her eyes, she hated it when he was in pain.

"Hello Ichigo Kurosaki… you have been avoiding me for quite some time…" Gin smiled evilly and motioned to Rangiku. She handed him the swords. Gin threw one at Ichigo's feet and pointed the other at him.

"Fancy…" Ichigo looked down at the quivering sword. It was stuck in the ground tip first in front of him. He then looked up at Gin. "I just want my family back…"

"And I want you dead…" Gin grinned as Rangiku cut the cords that tied Ichigo's hands together. "So if you want them… you'll fight me to the death…"

"Death…" Rukia echoed mournfully, hoping to sway Ichigo slightly. He could just shoot this man and be over with it. She knew he was too badly hurt to fight with a sword… hell she didn't even know if he knew how to fight with a sword. Then she thought back.

_There he was, with a pristine white suit. His marine's uniform. In his arm was his white hat and attached to his left hip was his saber, the sword that he had been given when he had graduated West Point. She had never seen him use it before but she was sure he was deadly with it. Her blue eyes sparkled and she looked over to see her baby girl in Kazumi's arms, looking beautiful as ever in an icy blue maid of honor's dress._

Ichigo knew how to use any weapon he picked up… that meant a sword… Rukia bit her bottom lip. She had to believe in him.

"So you want an old fashioned sword fight…" Ichigo smiled, taking the offered piece of cloth. He tied it around his upper arm, hoping to stop the bleeding and then yanked the sword out of the ground. "Fine then…" He held the tip of the sword up towards Ichimaru. "I accept your challenge…"

…to be continued


	30. You Can’t Take Me

**Chapter: **You Can't Take Me

**Shalan's Say: **Wow… my best friend is a douche… I was just talking to her and she totally flamed this girl… the one who wrote My Lovely Dancer… OUCH! XDDD Anyways… I'm sorry about her… forgive her if you like that story… of course… I am the queen that dominates you all… The Queen of IchiRukis and Lemons… as you all have titled me… XDDDDD Anyways… If you like inaccurate stories go ahead and read it… it is good… all in all I think it's an okay story… I mean the penmanship is… iffy and the information is inaccurate but I like it… it entertains me when I want a break from writing… that and Fireflies in the Garden… That's the right title… man… I suck at remembering things… anyways… READ ON OH GALLANT ONE

I'M SORRY AUTHOR OF MY LOVELY DANCER FOR HER ACTIONS! SHE HAS BEEN SHOUTED AT!

&&&

**Got to fight another fight - I ****gotta**** run another night**

Ichigo whipped the sword to the side almost impatiently. His mind was settled, his blood calm. This was just another battle with another enemy… and the only life on the line was his. This was just like the war, one verses another, man verses man… enemy verses enemy.

"What's wrong Kurosaki? Afraid you'll lose?" Gin's voice cut through Ichigo's inner monologue and the carrot-top lifted his head, his eyes glowing with fierce energy. Rukia's mind suddenly swirled and she felt the familiar feeling of PTSD.

**Get it out - check it out**

**I'm on my way and I don't feel right**

_The woman turned to run but a single gunshot was fired and she fell. __Rukia__ slowly turned and there behind her was Ichigo, his gun in his right hand pointing straight ahead, the barrel was smoking slightly and there was a deadly look in his eyes. It was a look she had never seen before._

His eyes held that same deadly look… and it was a look that she didn't like much at all. It was the gleam of a blood thirsty lion, a king protecting his pride, a knight fighting for nothing but his own survival. His eyes were no longer the kind and shining amber that she had become used to. No… no these eyes were the eyes of a killer. The side of her husband that she didn't know about… the side of her husband… that she had only caught glimpses of in the past.

**I ****gotta**** get me back - I can't be beat and that's a fact**

**It's OK - I'll find a way**

_"Listen… do you think that you could… get off my carpet?" She pointed at his dirty shoes. She was amazingly calm, more like subdued, the look on her face come completely blank, __no__ emotion could be read. Inside she had no feelings, no nothing… 'Ichigo… please come save me…'_

_"Maybe… perhaps I could come over onto that bed with you?" He smiled and move towards her, suddenly the door slammed open and Ichigo, gun in hand stood in the doorway, his barrel directed at the man._

_"You try it and you won't hear the man count 5," he had that bloodthirsty look in his eye again._

_"How'd you get past the…"_

_"Sniper?__ I saw him before he saw me… the cops should __hauling__ him off right now…" Ichigo walked forward slowly. "Now put the gun down and you won't have to get hurt." Ichigo had found __himself__ rather grumpy, this was the second time in three days that he had been forced to hold his gun, the steel made his skin twitch._

_"Hah! You don't have the balls to shoot me…" the man lunged at __Rukia__ and she scream, ducking away as a single gunshot was heard and the man fell to the floor, blood spurting, seemingly in slow motion to __Rukia__, from his head. Ichigo watched him fall then crossed the room to the shell-shocked __Rukia__. She was extremely pale and he smiled softly, then she did something that shocked him._

_"Thank you…" she wrapped her arms around him, trembling as she did. He smiled lightly, hugging her back as she buried her face in his chest._

**You ****ain't****gonna**** take me down no way**

Rukia choked lightly as her brain reeled from all of this new information. She panted, something wasn't right. What was wrong with her husband that she didn't know? Her eyes were trained on him, like a cat watching her prey she watched, her eyes seeing every flicker of muscles movement. Every blink of his eye. Everything.

**Don't judge a thing until you know what's inside it**

**Dont****' push me - I'll fight it**

Ichigo was a different man… It was odd for him to be so serious. It was odd for him to look that way, the deadly, vicious, evil glare that possessed his eyes, his physique, his soul. They had come too far, and now they were right back where they started, staring down the barrel of a gun. Or down a sword's blade.

All those things… what was it about him. She loved him… but she realized that she knew little about his past, the war… where he came from… her eyes glazed over.

_"Awe… __Ichigo?__ He's nothing to worry about… he's just got a past he'd like to forget…" __Uryu__ told her the day before their wedding. _

_"But __Uryu__… he won't tell me… about that stupid war… and what happened there…" her eyes dimmed. She knew __Uryu__ was protecting her. She hated being protected._

_"You sure have gotten more self confident… do you remember when you first met us? You have changed more than you think…__ and he has changed too…" __Uryu__ looked off to the side._

_"ISHIDA!__ Don't avoid my damn question… what happened to him that he won't tell me about?" Her eyes darkened and __Uryu__ looked back at her._

_"If you want to know so badly… ask him…" __Uryu__ whispered and stood up._

**Never ****gonna**** give in - never ****gonna**** give it up no**

**If y****ou can't catch a wave then you'r****e never ****gonna**** ride**** it**

Rukia shook her head. What was it? She had told him the whole story at the beginning of their relationship… when she didn't even have feelings for him… no that was wrong… her feelings had been there from the beginning…

_"S--sorry!"__ She sat up away from Ichigo and he gently tightened his arm, pulling her up against him again._

_"It's alright… you just stunned me for a moment…" He smiled, looking out over the acreage that they now lived on._

_"Okay… where do I begin?" She looked across the way to the huge oak tree that was only two yards away from the house._

_"At the beginning…" Ichigo suggested and she nodded._

_"I was… 14… barely even… into puberty…"_

_"That's the way they usually like them…" Ichigo squeezed her shoulder a little. She smiled slightly._

_"My brother and I still lived in a ratty apartment in the Projects… I can't even remember the name now… anyways… I was walking home from getting what I could from the store, my brother and I worked after school whenever we could… I was just finishing middle school and he was about to finish high school…" She paused. "He came up on me… I hadn't seen him… I just heard him… he was breathing hard and… I could feel his breath on my neck…" She stopped again and he waited patiently, he knew this one was going to be a hard story to tell already._

_"So you didn't know him…" Ichigo looked down at her, gently rubbing her upper arm._

_"No… he just grabbed me and hit me across the face… he called me a whore and pinned me down… I was fairly weak from lack of nourishment and he pulled my underwear down, pushing my dress up and did it… It hurt so badly… I just wanted it to stop…" Tears came to her eyes and Ichigo reached over, wiping them off her face and eyelashes tenderly._

_He was shocked at this motion… he had never been this careful with anyone in his life… so why was it that seeing her cry was tearing him apart from the inside out? "I screamed but no one came…" He watched as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Afterwards he stood up and just left me there in the alleyway… in all the filth on the ground, trash, urine, dirt… filth… insects crawled all over me… I hated it! I hated it!" She dug her fingernails into her arms and Ichigo reached over and gently pulled them out._

_"STOP!"__ She shouted at him and shrunk away. He looked over at her and she looked panicked again._

_"__Kuchiki__… it's just me…" Ichigo gently slid a hand across her jaw and neck and she closed her eyes, leaning into the caress._

He had heard her story… he knew everything… so why didn't he tell her? Was it another one of those times? Was he lying to keep her safe?

**You can't come uninvited**

**Never ****gonna**** give in - never ****gonna**** give up no**

Ichigo's eyes flashed as he swung his sword back and it began. Ichimaru swung his sword up, meeting the carrot-top's saber with his. The detective swung back, meeting his blade again. There was no choice. The swords clashed again as Ichigo backed him up. There was no way to defeat him in his condition. He could feel himself weakening as his arm grew heavy. He closed his eyes for a moment.

**You can't take me I'm free**

"Are you sure we're going to get there in time?" Kazumi opened her eyes from the back of the car… her husband, leaning forward as they sped down the highway nodded his head with a grin.

"Don't worry about it Kazu-chan…" Kisuke grinned at her. Kazumi stuck her tongue out at him.

"She's worried because you two are in such a good mood…" Yoruichi told them, her face unlaughingly grim.

"You can take the kid out of the fight but you can't take the fight out of the kid…" Kisuke chuckled.

"Kisuke… do you think he can keep his cool until we get there?" Kazumi looked over.

"Yeah I'm sure… he'll be fine… just believe that he can do anything and he'll be alright…" Kisuke frowned and he closed his eyes.

**Why did it all go wrong? - I ****wanna**** know what's going on**

**And what's this holding me?**

Rukia opened her eyes only to see Ichigo again. He was pushing Ichimaru back, their swords clanging with a flash as his sword caught the light.

"Damn it…" Ichigo cursed and jumped back from Ichimaru as his sword shredded the front of his shirt. Ichigo stumbled as he skid to a stop. He needed a gun and fast. He dove forward, beneath the other's defense and slashed upwards, his face set. He was going to win this fight.

His whole life had been a struggle. This was just another… another struggle to stay alive…

**I'm not where I supposed to be**

**I ****gotta**** fight another fight**

"Rukia…" She heard a whisper from behind her and Rangiku cut Rukia's cords. "While they're busy… let's go…" Rukia stared at her.

"I can't… I need to stay here for Ichigo…" She stated plainly.

"Listen I have orders to get you away from here… now let's go!" Rangiku shook her.

"NO!" A hand hit her hard on the back of the head and Rangiku caught her.

"Sorry…" The blonde shrugged and heaved the smaller woman over her shoulder before escaping from the room.

**I ****gotta**** fight will all my might**

**I'm getting out, so check it out**

Ichigo panted as he stared Ichimaru down. He was bleeding again, from his side now as well. And he was wearing down, his blood pounding in his ears. Or was that hers? Ichigo swung around as Ichimaru slashed at his back and the detective swung his own sword around his body and stabbed him through the stomach.

"ICHIGO!" He looked up and his gun game flying at him. Kaien Shiba stood on the balcony above them.

**Yeah****, you're in my way**

**So you better watch out**

Ichigo pointed the gun at Ichimaru's face, the barrel nearly touching his forehead. Ichimaru stared straight ahead. Ichigo's eyes were dark, evil, not his own. Kaien looked over at Uryu and Kazumi. Kisuke and Yoruichi opened the huge doors to the ballroom of the mansion they were in. Ichigo's finger flexed lightly.

"You tried to kill my wife and my daughter. You endangered my family. You nearly killed my best friend… now I'll kill you…" His voice was low, growling, dangerous.

"NO! ICHIGO!" Uryu dove for him as he pulled the trigger. Uryu threw himself onto his best friend's gun arm and threw the carrot-top to the ground. Ichimaru blinked, the bullet had gone right past his head.

"Ichimaru Gin… you are under arrest for embezzlement of funds, murder, kidnapping and for just pissing me off…" Toshiro clapped handcuffs onto the criminal and kicked him in the back onto his face, pinning him to the ground. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney…"

Ichigo struggled to sitting. "RUKIA?" He looked around, wild eyed. "WHERE IS RUKIA?" A yelp came from the doorway and a small form pummeled into his arms. He pressed his face into her hair, holding her tightly to his chest.

"Ichigo…" she sighed, tears didn't come this time… no… tears were not necessary.

"I have… something… I need to tell you…" He whispered in her ear. She nodded and buried her face into his neck.

&&&

OMG TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! That was exciting wasn't it… the next chapter we learn what Ichigo has been hiding from Rukia… for all these years…

Shalan


	31. Second Chances

**Chapter:** Second Chances

**Shalan's Say:**IT IS TIME FOR THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN FICTION HISTORY! NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER! NOT EVEN MY BETA WHO WAS NOT ALLOWED TO READ THIS CHAPTER UNTIL NOW… TT.TT OMG we've only got like… this and one more chapter left in the story… TT.TT anyways… this chapter should wrap things up… but it's not the last chapter. Read and Review or I won't post the last chapter until the New Year… I hope you guys have enjoyed the story this far… and I hope that you will finally come to understand some parts of the storyline.

&&&

Ichigo sighed, looking up at the cherry blossoms. He sat on the ground in Washington DC. The place where they had first met… the place where he had first led her by the hand. A hand tousled his hair and he looked up. Rukia stood over him, her blue eyes soft.

"So you came…" Ichigo smiled. She nodded and sat down next to him. "I was afraid you were writing up a divorce certificate…"

"Ichigo I'm used to you lying to me by now…" her eyes grew sad and the magnitude of that statement hit him harder than a boulder down Everest. His eyes widened as she looked away, casting her gaze over the reflecting pool. He swallowed hard. His own wife… why had he driven the woman that he loved to say something… that devastating? Why?

"Rukia…" Ichigo began but she closed her eyes and he stopped.

"Don't Ichigo… just tell me what you wanted me to come here for so I can go back and relieve my babysitter of my children…" Ichigo looked at the ground. Six months… it had been six months since he had seen her. She had shown up at their house, packed her things and took their children with her. They had argued. They had fought to the point that he wanted to slap her… but he hadn't he had restrained himself… and then he had cried, the one good thing that had ever happened to him in his life had left him. And taken their life with her.

"I've killed people in my life…" he began only to hear the grass crunch and her snort of disgust.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me? That you've killed people? ICHIGO! DAMN IT! I KNOW THAT! I know DAMN well that you've killed people…" Rukia stomped her foot. "This was a WASTE of my time…" Tears dripped from her eyes. "Next time you decide to waste my time… like you have done TWICE now… DON'T!" She shouted and turned just before he yanked her down into his arms. She struggled against him desperately, shouting profanities before he gripped her jaw, forcing her to look at him.

"What are you so afraid of? That I'm going to tell you the truth? That maybe I'm not the knight in shining armor that you wanted? That I'm not perfect like you? Are you afraid that maybe… just maybe you still are in love with me? And if you didn't want to hear it then why did you come? Why? To make lowly me feel more worthless than I already do?" Ichigo's eyes were ablaze, his grip tight enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"You've lied to me since the very beginning Ichigo…" her eyes averted and he jerked her head again, her eyes meeting his in a deadlock gaze. She couldn't take her eyes off his. "And I don't like to be lied to… so when you decide not to lie to me anymore tell me… and maybe I won't have found someone else…" She jerked away from him and walked off before he could move. He stared after her and leaned his head against the trunk of the tree.

_"I killed them… I killed them all…" his voice trembled as he fisted his hands._

"I didn't lie to you from the very beginning… I just never told you anything…" he closed his eyes against the bright light of the sun_. I just never told you anything…_

&&&

Rain streamed down her window as she gazed out over the street, her eyes were glazed and nostalgic as she watched a couple in the overhang of the building across from her. She could have been like them… if only she wouldn't have gone to that stupid meeting. If only she had followed her gut and left the rude phone caller to his own devices. Tears filled her eyes as she watched the couple kiss, wrapped in each other's arms.

**I've been driving for an hour**

**Just talking to the rain**

She pressed her face into her knees, wrapping her arms around her head. Why had she ended up this way? Why had her life come to this? What had she done to deserve the pain that she had been put through? Her mind threw her back in time. The first time she had met him she knew… she KNEW that he was going to be nothing but trouble… so why had she ended up like this?

_"Don't ignore me after you called me babe over the damn phone!" She nearly shouted at him. __He turned back around._

_"I can call you babe if I want to.__.. anyways… who are you?" He__ blinked over at her._

_"My name is Rukia __Kuchiki__… your attorney," the woman folded her a__rms and he__ looked back over at her._

_"You're my attorney… I thought I asked for the best… not the most feminine…" he raised an eyebrow and she felt her anger tick upwards._

_"What the hell is wrong with you? It's a wonder that you even became a detective with your people skills!" She glared at him._

_"Get me out of house arrest and maybe I'll consider making you my permanent lawyer," he said, still watching the television._

_"No wonder no other lawyer would even talk to y__ou! You're a… a… __meanie__!" He__ laughed and turned around._

_"Awe… now__ what… are we in kindergarten? __So… did you spill your coffee __before__ or __after__ you stepped in the mud puddle?" He raised his eyes up to her._

_"I'm leaving," she turned on her heel._

_"Wait!" She heard his voice and she stopped. "I need to get off house arrest…" He stood up for the first time and she nearly stared. He was tall, just above average height with muscular arms. He wore a wife beater and a pair of black trousers._

_"And… why do you need me to do that?" She frowned from behind her handkerchief._

_"Because… I have to solve this murder…" his eyes bored into hers and she found that he had extremely beautiful eyes, brilliant amber irises surrounded by a ring of black._

_"Murder?__ Oh you mean the murder that __you__ committe__d?" She __peaked__ an eyebrow. He__ stared her down._

_"I didn't kill anyone…" He stated plainly. "Why can't anyone understand that? I haven't done anything!" She backed away as he nearly threw a conniption._

_"Fine!__ FINE! I'll help you…" She shook her head, wondering why she was._

She had wondered since that day why she had helped him. Murder… HA! There was no murder… no crime… no nothing… tears spilled down her face as she sobbed. If only she hadn't fallen for his stupid charms… just like every other woman in the world.

**You say I've been driving you crazy**

**and**** its keeping you away**

**So just give me one good reason**

**Tell me why I should stay**

**'Cause I don****'****t ****wanna**** waste another moment**

**saying**** things we never meant to say**

Ichigo flicked his cigarette butt away and shoved his hands into his pocket, letting the rain soak his suit. He closed his eyes against the shower and turned his face towards the sky. _"Ichigo… tell me you didn't do this…"_

_"Rukia listen… I…" he looked at the ground and__ closed his eyes. "Sometimes for our safety sacrifices have to be made…"_

_"Is that what you think? IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK?" Her tone was disgusted, angry, frightened. "THEN I GUESS IT'S OKAY TO KILL ME TOO? __AND OUR CHILDREN?__ THIS IS JUST TOO MUCH!" He heard her stand up and throw the book on the ground. His eyes snapped open and he dove to the book. Pictures were tossed across the floor, scattered as though a hurricane had just whipped them out of the book._

_"Rukia… I didn't say that…"_

_"THAT'S WHAT YOU DID THOUGH! THEY WERE INNOCENT CIVILIANS ICHIGO!"_

_"IT WAS FOR OUR OWN PROTECTION! ANYONE COULD HAVE A BOMB STRAPPED TO THEM! IT'S NOT JUST MEN!" Ichigo bellowed in return and she fell silent._

_"I refuse to be married to a murderer…" She turned and walked out of the door. "You should have died with them…" The door slammed…_ and his eyes snapped open. "You should have died with them…" he whispered then looked over curiously as he heard gun shots. The shout of a drill sergeant broke the cold air as a funeral procession looked on.

_"You should have died with them…"_ he flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground, the grave he stood in front of seemed to welcome it. "You hear that buddy?" The grave was marked… but he had been a nameless soldier. A man with not enough left of him to recognize… "I should have died with them…" He laughed sarcastically. He had visited this particular grave often… because he knew whose grave it was. He had watched him be blown away by a suicide bomber… the dog tags in his pocket grew heavier.

**And I **

**Take it just a little bit**

**I, hold my breath and count to ten**

**I, I've been waiting for a chance to let you in**

Rukia stood up and walked over to her closet and opened it. She suddenly felt anger well up from deep in her belly and she screamed, ripping the clothes from the bar and throwing them around the room, ripping the expensive fabric and popping buttons off the jackets and blouses. It was an emotion she couldn't explain, anger, frustration and sadness mixed into one. An uncontrollable rage that made her want to shred everything in sight. She threw lamps and ripped her sheets from her bed. She ripped the drawers out of her dresser. She threw herself on the floor and sobbed until she couldn't breathe.

_"I love you…" he whispered as their lips met. Her mind whirred as his hands unbuttoned her blouse._

_"I love you to… by what's going on?" She laughed as he pulled her blouse down. Her hands tangled through his hair as his lips made their paths against her skin._

_That night… he made love to her like it was going to be the last time…_

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE LAST TIME! THERE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN A FIRST TIME!" She screamed and dug her fingernails into her head. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

**If I just breathe**

**Let it fill the space in between**

**I'll know everything is alright**

**Breathe**

**Every little piece of me**

**You'll see**

**Everything is alright**

**If I just breathe**

A hand gripped his shoulder and Ichigo looked over. "Are you alright sir?" one of the soldiers had come over to check on him. He looked proud, standing tall and straight, like a soldier should.

"Yes, lieutenant… I'm fine… are you doing anything right now?" The soldier looked confused.

"No sir… I was about to leave…"

"Have you been overseas?" Ichigo met his eyes and the soldier smiled, used to these sorts of questions.

"Yessir. One year tour in Iraq…"

"Ah… I see… and do you know who this is?" He looked at the grave.

"No sir…" The soldier looked down as well.

"His name was Gunnery Sergeant Ichigo Kurosaki… I watched him die… but I couldn't do anything about it…" Ichigo squeezed the dog tags in his pocket so tightly blood drew from his palm.

"You were in Iraq?" The man looked back for Ichigo…

**Well it's all so overrated**

**In not saying how you feel**

**So you end up watching chances fade**

**And wondering what's real**

"Mommy?" Rukia looked up as her three year old daughter toddled over to her. "Mommy?" Rukia's mind registered that her baby was crying. Misaki's tear stained face buried itself in Rukia's shoulder as she lifted her.

"I'm alright Misaki…" Rukia breathed in her ear as they walked down the hall to the baby's room.

**And I **

**Give you just a little time**

**I, Wonder if you realize**

**I've been waiting till I see it in your eyes**

"Do you think he told her?" The redhead walked up next to him as he stood on the back porch in the rain.

"Do you believe in God?" Uryu closed his eyes, his raven bangs whipping back from his face.

"Of course I do…" She looked up at him as he took in the scent of the spring rain.

"Do you believe in miracles?" His voice cracked and she hooked her arm through his, resting her head against his chest.

"Of course I do…"

"Then do you think he told her?"

"Of course I don't…" She sighed.

**If I just breathe**

**Let it fill the space between**

**I'll know everything is alright**

**Breathe,**

**Every little piece of me**

**You'll see**

**Everything is alright**

**If I just breathe**

**Breathe**

"So he's…"

"Yeah… haven't you ever wondered why he always survived? Even when it seemed the bleakest?" Kisuke leaned on the railing of their back porch as the ocean breeze whipped his hair back from his face.

"I guess… I always thought it was sheer determination… but I see where it becomes slightly impossible…" Yoruichi sipped on her glass of water.

"He's certainly something else isn't he?" The blonde smiled into the dark evening.

"I guess… does she know?" Yoruichi looked over at him.

"Dunno… guess not…" He finished off his own drink.

**So I whisper in the dark,**

**Hoping you hear me**

**Do you hear me?**

Rukia opened the fridge and pulled out the orange juice, pouring herself a glass. She sipped it and closed her eyes. "Ichigo…" did she want him back or did she want him to stay away from her? Honestly she didn't know what she wanted. She half regretted leaving… but the other half of her told her that she didn't need to be lied to… she squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly something clicked in the back of her mind, all of the pieces of the puzzle fell back together. Her eyes shot open and she dropped her glass. She yanked her coat on and slipped her feet into her shoes, sprinting out the door.

**If I just breathe**

**Let it fill the space between **

**I'll know everything is alright**

**Breathe,**

**Every little piece of me**

**You'll see**

**Everything is alright**

**Everything is alright if I**** just breathe... breathe**

Ichigo stared up at her window, waiting for her to walk by it again… waiting to see if she would notice him there. Waiting to see… if maybe… the door opened. "ICHIGO!" His gaze fell to her as she ran towards him. "ICHIGO I KNOW!" She slammed into him. "I know now…" she sobbed and buried her face into his chest. "I understand… all this time… you never…" she gasped for air as rain lashed at her face and slicked her hair.

"There's one more thing I have to tell you…" their eyes met.

"I know… You're…" his finger graced her lips and she fell silent.

"I have been given a second chance… God sent me back… because I had something else to do…" Tears brimmed in his eyes. "That other task? It was you Rukia… I had to find you…" he whispered. "I know now too… that you're the reason I'm alive… you're the very reason for my being here…"

"You're my guardian angel… the one I've always prayed for…" her hands gripped his face. "You were lying to me because you had to… oh Ichigo…" she buried her face into his chest. "Ever since I was a little girl I have been praying for God to send me a guardian angel… someone to protect and love me…"

"I guess… that's me…" he whispered and guided her lips to his.

**I've been driving for an hour **

**Just talking to the rain**

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HANG IN THERE! ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! IF I GET A TON OF REVIEWS IT'LL BE POSTED ON CHRISTMAS! IF NOT IT'LL BE POSTED ON NEW YEARS!

Shalan


	32. Somewhere Over The Rainbow

**Chapter**: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

**Shalan's**** Say:** Boy, you guys have been through it all haven't you? From me updating almost twice a day to updating NEVER! I am SO sorry but I am happy that you all have stuck in there (at least I hope you guys have stuck in there… after all I haven't posted this yet so I don't know what kind of reviews I'll get) sorry for the outrageously short last chapter. The original was deleted and I have changed my mind several times as to how I was going to end my best story ever… please review… at the end of this chapter I will post a teaser for the sequel…

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For a moment she paused, looking up into the cerulean sky, her legs swinging out from under her and her long orange hair blowing out behind her. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled as she giggled, swinging up so high she thought she would flip over. Her knee length white dress billowed as she released the swing and soared through the air. "WATCH DAD!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"MISAKI!" The short black haired woman shrieked as her daughter flew through the air towards her father.

"I gotcha!" The taller carrot top reached up and much to his daughter's delight snatched her out of the air.

"COOL!" Another voice chimed into the cacophony of noise. "Can I try?" the younger boy called as his father set his sister down.

"Alright Ichiro… you can try…" he walked over and set the boy down.

"Misaki are you CRAZY?" Rukia knelt in front of the windblown child as she continued to giggle from the adrenaline rush.

"Mommy! It was like FLYING!"

"NO NOT ANOTHER!" Rukia called as she heard the sickening sound of her son flying through the air. Ichigo reached up and caught him, swinging him around getting lower and lower until Ichiro's stomach touched the ground. "KUROSAKI!" She hit him upside the head as he laughed nearly harder than his son.

"Mommy! Calm down see I'm okay!" Rukia dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her children.

"You scaring your old lady again Kurosaki?" Ichigo looked up as his best friend walked over, son in tow.

"Old LADY?" A voice parroted.

"Is there an echo out here?" Uryu looked around as Rukia fumed behind her husband.

"Shut up Ishida!" Rukia threw a rock at him and he dodged.

"What happened to making a good impression on our kids? Throwing rocks Kurosaki?" He narrowed one of his eyes playfully.

"Dad! DAD!" Uryu looked over at his son.

"What WHAT?" He replied, lifting an eyebrow.

"Lemme go! I wanna go play!" He motion to his friends then looked mournfully in their direction.

"Go then…" he let his son go and watched as the little boy scampered off towards the swings.

"Is he causing trouble again?" Kazumi chuckled as she hooked an arm around his hips, pulling him against her.

"More than you know…" Rukia frowned then giggled as Ichigo blew on her ear, sending tingles across her body.

"For the parents of two you two sure are flirtatious, planning on adding to that family of yours?" Uryu lifted an eyebrow before snaking his arm around his wife's waist.

"Look who's talking…" Rukia pointed out and for a moment a pink tinge entered the cheeks of her husband's best friend as his palm rested against his wife's round belly. Kazumi coughed slyly and Ichigo looked up.

"We only have one…" Uryu defended himself and Kazumi began to giggle. Rukia fought back a choked laugh and Ichigo continued to stare at the sky as if there were something interesting about the white puffy clouds above them.

"MOMMY!" Ryu appeared next to his mother, gripping her dress and pressing his face to her hip.

"What is it?"

"HIDE ME!" He shrieked as Ichiro finished counting. It was at that point that none of the parents could retain their laughter.

"Where?" Kazumi lifted an eyebrow as the other three cackled away. She placed a hand on the back of his head and smiled softly. Peace was good.

&&&

10 Years Later

It was raining… and she hated it. "DA-ADDY!" She called. "I'M GOING OUUT!" She pulled her raincoat on.

"Where to?" Ichigo leaned his head out of the kitchen.

"The Ishida's…" She replied with a sour look.

"Of course… why'd I even ask… so should I start speaking to Uryu about the dowry yet?" She gave him another sour looked then walked out.

"Is she going to see Ryu again?" Ichiro asked through his sandwich.

"Where else?" Ichigo returned to the kitchen as Rukia appeared from behind the fridge door. "One of these days I'm going to forget that you're in there and shut the door on you…" Ichigo teased.

"I love the weekend!" Ichiro smiled as Rukia cocked her head. "Cause then you're home and we can all talk to you…" Ever since the end of the kidnapping ordeal, or what had come to be known as operation Love Boat courtesy of Kisuke, Rukia had returned to work as a criminal defense lawyer.

"Oh, I see…" Rukia smiled then looked around. "Where are Shinogu and Kirika?" She glanced around the room.

"Outside… duh…" Ichiro said through another mouthful as he read the book in his hand.

"ICHIRO! IT'S RAINING THEY'LL TRACK MUD IN GO GET THEM!" Ichigo flinched as his son was practically blown out of his chair by his mother.

"I'm GOING!" Ichiro dragged himself off the ground and begrudgingly walked off towards the front door. "'NOGU! RIKA!" He shouted.

"You are just one notch above a caveman there Ichiro…" Ichigo chuckled as the black haired boy stomped out onto the front veranda.

"SHIN-O-GU! KI-RI-KA! COME INSIDE! MOM SAYS SO!" Ichigo plugged his ears. His oldest son sure had gotten his mother's pipes.

"Don't get your panties in a bundle Ichi… geez…" a soaking wet red haired boy walked up, his clothes stretching slightly from the weight of the rain. His mud covered shorts were dripping filth on the wooden veranda.

"You know mom hates it when you guys do this…" Ichiro took the offered towels from his father.

"Sorry Ichiro… we were just playing with Gumshoe…"

"Oh no…" Ichiro groaned. "You brought Gumshoe OUTSIDE?" A muddy and soaking wet pile of fur thundered towards him. "GUMSHOE ! NO! GUM NO!" He was immediately pinned to the ground by a hulking hairy beast. The German Shepherd opened its mouth and began to lick its master vigorously.

"Haha! You two have caused enough trouble for today…" Ichigo wrapped towels around the two. "Come on inside before your Type A mother has the heart attack she's been working towards."

"What are you saying about me Ichigo?" Rukia called from the kitchen.

"Nothing darling!" Ichigo replied then sniggered with his kids. He ushered them upstairs then swung around as he heard a scream and a roar of laughter. Ichigo walked to the door and looked upon the sight before him. His 16 year old daughter was pinned to the ground by the hulking hound while her brother and her brother's best friend attempted to retrieve her.

"GUMSHOE!" Ichiro yanked the dog back from his now muddy sister while Ryu laughed hysterically.

"RYU ISHIDA!" Misaki shouted as he helped her up. "You are dumb!" She grumbled as he chuckled from beside her.

"I'm sorry…" the black haired young man hung his head and her eyes softened.

"It's okay…" she placed a hand on the side of his face. Ichigo watched it with contemplation then caught his son's eye, there was still a protective side of him.

"PDA!" Ichiro shouted and earned himself a glare from his best friend. "Sorry dude… but I'll let you borrow my Dirge of Cerberus…"

"HEY! THAT'S MY GAME!" Ryu chased after him as he sprinted towards the house. Misaki looked at the dog who panted.

"I haven't got a clue Gumshoe… I haven't got a clue…" She watched as her brother wrapped an arm around her boyfriend's neck and drag him to the ground as they began to wrestle on the front porch. She lifted her eyes higher as her father watched her. She smiled the lifted her eyes higher. "Somewhere… OOOOVER THE RAINBOW! WAAAAY UP HIIGH!" She began to sing as a rainbow appeared over their house as the clouds began to fade. "Birds fly over the rainbow… why oh why can't I?" Ichiro and Ryu looked over as she continued to sing.

"She does have a heavenly voice… doesn't she?" Rukia wrapped an arm around her husband's waist as their best friends exited their house to listen. Uryu smiled across the street at his partner in crime as Ichigo smiled softly.

"Somewhere over the rainbow… is a place my heart once knew…" Ichigo muttered under his breath then laughed as his family ran out to join their sister. Uryu and Kazumi walked across the street to join them as the other two children sprinted across the lawn towards their oldest brother. "Somewhere huh? Somewhere over the rainbow… is not where I want to go… just yet…" Ichigo looked out over the mudfight as his wife even got involved.

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THE END

Sequel coming later today or this week!

SHALAN'S FINAL SAY: I am so happy that you all have waited patiently for me to update… well here it is… I am so sorry it was short but I honestly have to tell you that… well… will update the first chapter of the sequel as soon as you guys tell me to! READ AND REVIEW!


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